A little while back, redditor u/NoHoldingMeBack asked the movie buffs of AskReddit, “What movie do you consider ‘perfect’?” There were plenty of submissions of what folks think of as absolutely sublime, impossible-to-improve-upon movies; here are 24 of ’em.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
1.
“Pan’s Labyrinth (2006). Besides the groundbreaking practical and computer effects, it is a masterpiece of storytelling that legitimately makes you question the distinction between reality and escapist fantasy. The visual language of the film is gorgeous and the symbolism is ceaseless, while never shifting focus from the characters and their stories. It is truly a masterwork, and despite the critical preference for The Shape of Water, I think it is Guillermo del Toro’s most characteristic and iconic film.”
2.
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). Seriously, it is perfect. There’s not a single frame, a single line of dialogue, or a single note from the score that I would change.”
3.
“Mrs. Doubtfire (1993). Am I biased because this was my comfort movie as a child of divorce? Yes. But is this movie practically perfect in its acting, pace, plot, humor, and wholesome moments? (‘THE WHOLE TIME?!’) Also yes.”
4.
“When Harry Met Sally… (1989). A perfect story that’s not bogged down in background exposition. A perfect setting (New York in the fall is the dream). Two people perfect for each other because they’re imperfect characters. Quotable dialogue. It doesn’t try to be something it’s not. It’s a masterpiece.”
5.
“I think Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) is a perfect action and adventure film.”
6.
“Jurassic Park (1993). The practical and CGI effects outclass stuff made today. The characters have flaws and feel like real people, and we see those characters grow and change over the course of the film. In my opinion, it is a masterpiece not just in film but in storytelling.”
7.
“Any Studio Ghibli movie, honestly. When I watch one, there isn’t a moment when I’m bored. Plus, the music and characters are amazing and the artwork is fantastic.”
8.
“Network (1976). It turned out to be a timeless satire of corporate media and sensationalism, and every single word spoken colors each character’s personality, flaws, and intentions brilliantly. The performances are airtight, and five members of the cast were nominated for Oscars that year, with Faye Dunaway, Peter Finch, and Beatrice Straight emerging as winners in their categories. Straight remains the record holder for shortest Oscar-winning performance in academy history, at five minutes and 40 seconds of screentime.”
9.
“Soul (2020) by Pixar. Realistic dialogue and wild, philosophical plot, along with relatable characters and great score. That epiphany scene is just…10/10. It even brought my 70-year-old father to tears.”
10.
“True to its title, Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) does everything: sci-fi, action, drama, comedy…and it does it all exceptionally well. It only took one rewatch to solidify it as one of my favorite films of all time.”
11.
“My definition of a perfect film is that nothing is wasted. All the scenes matter, and there’s not a shred of fat on it. Absolutely, The Incredibles (2004) fits that. What a fucking film.”
12.
“The Godfather Part II (1974). First, let me say that I have a personal preference for The Godfather Part I. I just like the story and themes better, and I really love the scenes with old man Vito. However, Part II is the superior film artistically. I love how the rise of Vito from an orphan in Sicily to a benevolent crime boss and family man in America is juxtaposed with Michael’s own hubris in believing he can maintain his power and make moves to become legit, leading his family to be ripped apart and his empire to be nearly destroyed. The acting is top-notch, the story is great, and the cinematography is absolutely perfect, especially in the Sicilian countryside scenes.”
13.
“Going to go out on a limb here and say Up (2009) by Pixar. I can’t think of anything that beats the opening sequence. It makes me well up just thinking about it.”
14.
“I don’t like it and would never watch it again, but Uncut Gems (2019). Every second of the film oozes with its intent to do two things: tell you the story of an absolute monster destroying his own life until there’s nothing left, and make you feel stressed out, anxious, and twitchy the entire time. Even the moments of his life that are pleasant, you feel this overwhelming sense that he is about to fuck it up, and if you try to feel hopeful, it fades quickly. Again, I didn’t like it and won’t watch it again, but very few films feel so much as if they perfectly captured the intent of the story in every single tiny detail in every frame.”
15.
“Back to the Future (1985). Perfect combination of comedy, action, and sci-fi. It set the standard for time-travel stories. Great performances. Tight script. Interesting and original characters.”
16.
“The How to Train Your Dragon series. The music was beautiful and the plot was good. Maybe simple, but good. The characters were enjoyable. There are few to no pointless scenes. The series was just amazing.”
17.
“Jaws (1975). You could sit there with a notepad and write down every shot or word that doesn’t forward the story or character development and be left with an empty notepad when the credits roll. I adore it and think the problems when making it led to an ingenuity to overcome that CGI has removed from modern films because it’s always so easy to fix things in postproduction.”
18.
“Amadeus (1984). It’s well-rounded artistry, from the acting to the musical score to the cinematography. It truly lies among the best films ever made.”
19.
“Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). The humor is on point, and they got creative with the journey that takes place. Also, there are just so many quotable lines from the film — taunting Frenchmen, a killer bunny, a black knight that doesn’t give up, and a silly place, for example.”
20.
“Die Hard (1988). It is note for note the perfectly crafted action movie. I’m not saying it is Oscarworthy. I’m saying that for what it is and is trying to be, it is perfect.”
21.
“Hot Fuzz (2007). Granted, it’s not my favorite movie, but it is perfect in its own way. There is not one scene or word of dialogue that is wasted in that movie. Every line is either foreshadowing, a callback, or a reference to another action movie.”
22.
“Stand by Me (1986). Classic ’80s adventure movie with a great story and characters that feel like real people. If you want to watch something other than an action, sci-fi, or fantasy movie, and you want to watch a movie that feels more grounded in reality, then I highly recommend Stand by Me.”
23.
“I actually think The Empire Strikes Back (1980) comes pretty close, but it has the luxury of being the middle piece of a trilogy. It can tell a tight, exciting story with good character development, and it doesn’t need a feel-good, all-around resolution at the end, which can feel pat or contrived. There is no need to pad the story with flashbacks or extra exposition to fill you in on the backstory, and they can leave the ending dark and unresolved but still satisfying. This is why Star Wars starts off slow and then gets really good, and why the first part of Return of Jedi is exciting, but the last part isn’t as good.”
24.
And finally: “The Princess Bride (1987). I can’t think of anything that would make it better — nothing at all.”
What movies (or TV shows) do you think are so utterly amazing that they couldn’t be improved? Tell us about them in the comments!
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The San Francisco Chronicle published an investigative report Saturday that claims Oscars and Native American icon Sacheen Littlefeather – best known for her appearance on behalf of Marlon Brando to refuse his Best Actor Academy Award for The Godfather — was not who she claimed to be.
Her sisters said in the article that Littlefeather, who died earlier this month shortly after receiving an official apology from the Academy, was not of Apache heritage, but rather half-Mexican. They also said she did not grow up with an abusive father, or in terrible poverty.
Littlefeather’s sisters, Orlandi and Rosalind Cruz, approached Native American journalist and activist Jacqueline Keeler to tell their story. Keeler is known for co-creating the #NotYourMascot hashtag in 2013, which brought about a name change for the NFL’s Washington team. She also authors a “Pretendians” list, exposing people who make false claims of American Indian heritage.
The Chronicle article said Littlefeather was born Marie Louise Cruz (nicknamed “Deb”) to a mother who had white heritage and Mexican on her father’s side. The sisters claim that their goal in coming forward is to restore their father’s good name, saying he “never drank” and was not mentally ill, refuting her sister’s claims.
Littlefeather wore traditional clothing at the 1973 Oscars ceremony, making a statement about Hollywood’s treatment of Native Americans. She later said she was blacklisted from the industry.
The Academy’s recent apology to Littlefeather said that “[t]he emotional burden you have lived through and the cost to your own career in our industry are irreparable. For too long, the courage you showed has been unacknowledged. For this, we offer both our deepest apologies and our sincere admiration.”
In today’s Chronicle story, the Littlefeather sisters said it was troubling to see her “venerated as a saint.”
In case you missed it, Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas started last night, and the holiday will come at you from all directions as the weeks progress.
There are also several documentaries and docuseries premiering this week that are worth the watch.
And don’t forget to watch Netflix’s adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front, which is a devastating look at World War I.
Saturday, October 22
8/7c We Wish You a Married Christmas (Hallmark)
Robby and Becca have run into a tough time in their marriage.
Although they’ve tried counseling, their hopes are pretty much dashed when their therapist suggests a holiday retreat to a cozy Vermont inn.
From the moment they arrive, forces seem determined to keep them together, but will the holiday magic succeed in repairing their torn relationship? This is the one Hallmark Christmas movie you don’t want to miss. It’s playful, romantic, and an all-around good time!
Sunday, October 23
8/7c Family Law (The CW)
After finding his daughter passed out drunk at work, Harry offers her one final chance. Harry even decides he wants to reconnect with his grandchildren, making things awkward.
The lawyers represent a gay teen who wants to be emancipated from his parents.
They decide to take the case after becoming horrified that his parents want to send him to Pray Away the Gay camp.
8/7c A Kismet Christmas (Hallmark)
Sarah Ramos and Chesapeake Shores’ Carlo Marks star in this new Hallmark Christmas movie.
Sarah is a children’s book author who returns to her hometown, where she reconnects with her family and Travis, her teenage crush.
She soon discovers that a long-held family legend might actually be true.
9/8c Power Book III: Raising Kanan (Starz)
The second season finale finds Raq trying to quell an impending war while she continues to lose her relationship with Kanan.
Lou-Lou will make a discovery, and Burke won’t stop her obsession with discovering Howard’s secrets.
It’s an explosive season finale that will make you happy there’s a season three to look forward to.
9/8c House of the Dragon (HBO)
It all comes down to this, House of the Dragon fanatics!
In the aftermath of Aegon’s ascension to the throne, there will be fireworks as Rhaenys makes her way to the Dragonstone with the news.
How will Rhaenyra react to this act of treason?
9/8c The Toys that Built America (History)
The eight-episode second season turns the lens on an exciting new selection of bold visionaries, including video game pioneer Nolan Bushnell, toy innovator Marvin Glass, and many other creators.
These were the people behind history’s biggest-selling games, puzzles, dolls, and action figures as they built billion-dollar empires against the backdrop of a changing world in the 20th century.
Each one-hour episode is packed with nostalgic products, surprising historical connections, gripping dramatic tales, incredible technological breakthroughs, and a treasure trove of unexpected facts.
9/8c East New York (CBS)
We knew it would happen sooner or later: Bentley will bristle at Sandeford’s advice on the latest episode of East New York!
Meanwhile, Regina and the team have to use their creativity to solve a family conflict, while Regina deals with one in her personal life when her mother encourages her to reconnect with her estranged father.
This should be the perfect blend of personal and professional stories. Tune in and discover why East New York is one of this season’s top-rated new shows!
10/9c Interview With The Vampire (AMC)
We’ll finally be introduced to Claudia in this highly anticipated episode of the freshman hit series.
We’ll see how Louis and Lestat navigate life with a teenage vampire.
And we’ll see how Claudia adapts to a brand-new world.
The two squads are going after a group of grisly murderers known as “The Body Stitchers,” returning after evading capture by NCIS years ago.
Also, Sam’s dad makes a new friend in Arkady.
Monday, October 24
Days of Our Lives (Peacock)
Now that Kristen’s forced her way into Brady’s life, will anyone figure out what’s going on?
And how, exactly, will John and Marlena react to her staying in their house, considering she’s one of their worst enemies?
Meanwhile, Nicole’s decision to re-hire Eric might turn out to be a major mistake when she has to stand in for an absent model, and it reignites feelings she’s been trying to ignore.
8/7c 9-1-1 (FOX)
Karen and Denny find themselves in danger when an explosion rips through her lab.
The 118 will be called to the scene as a frantic Hen looks on.
Amidst the present-day dangers, we’ll get a look at the early days of Hen and Karen’s relationship.
8/7c All American (The CW)
When Spencer joins Olivia in her quest to get former players to talk about Coach Garrett, things start to become real for them. With Jordan’s encouragement, Layla agrees to attend a red carpet with Patience, but Patience is still learning the ins and outs of these exclusive events.
Spencer notices that Grace is doing a lot of wedding things solo, so he comes up with a solution to make her feel special. Asher gets an opportunity to take the next step in his career by going on a recruiting trip.
Meanwhile, Coop gets too involved in a case at work, leading Laura to step in.
9/8c The Cleaning Lady (FOX)
As Armon, Thony, and Garret unexpectedly team up to take down Cortes, he could be on to them and put Thony in danger.
Was Nadia the one who tipped off Robert since she and Arman were having problems?
Meanwhile, Chris’s grief and emotional issues reach new lows, and Fiona tries to keep them safe.
10/9c Quantum Leap (NBC)
Do you feel the earth move under your feet? Well, Ben certainly does when he leaps into the 1989 San Francisco Earthquake!
With no idea what his mission is and the mystery of the other leaper in 1879 on her mind, Addison’s only goal is to keep him alive so he can leap home.
Things get intense as Ben tries to save everyone from collapsing building and falling debris. Keep an eye out for at least one familiar guest star!
10/9c The Good Doctor (ABC)
Jordan and Perez go on a race against time in order to find a severed foot.
Shaun deals with a literal ticking time bomb: a patient whose military reenactment got a little too realistic.
Meanwhile, Shaun and Lim’s problems continue, and Glassman tells Shaun to take responsibility for Lim’s paralysis, which Shaun vehemently disagrees with.
Tuesday, October 25
8/7c The Resident (FOX)
A happy occasion can never come without some drama on The Resident, and Kitbell’s long-awaited wedding day kicks off with a dramatic flair when Bell and Conrad get called in to treat a severely ill daughter of a major donor at the hospital.
If you had any doubts that Billie is coming out ahead in this love triangle business, she spends the day dress-shopping with Gigi and Bell’s granddaughter, Sammie, for the big day.
But let’s be real, what we’re really here for is that wedding! You’re cordially invited to the big affair, and we cannot wait to see what happens.
8/7c The Winchesters (The CW)
What would you do if your next-door neighbor went missing?
Mary and John dig into the disappearance of Mary’s neighbor, which reunites John with someone from his past.
Meanwhile, Carlos and Ada bond during a stakeout to find the demon’s partner.
And Latika taps into old folklore to try to help John and Mary.
9/8c Monarch (FOX)
The truth is out, and now Albie knows that he has a daughter out there, but what will happen when he comes face to face with her and realizes that it’s Catt?
Dottie’s lies and secrets continue to wreak havoc on the family as everything seems to fall apart around them.
Also, what happened on that infamous night?
9/8c La Brea (NBC)
Eve, Gavin, and the others infiltrate the Exiles base to get a shipment of black rock to gain access to the tower.
How much more is there to this mystery, and what’s with the mysterious bugs?
Meanwhile, in 1988, Josh and Riley must convince Caroline not to alter the timeline.
10/9c New Amsterdam (NBC)
Max’s latest quest is the impossible task of making NYC as safe as possible. How he plans to do that is a mystery.
Floyd’s world is upturned when his father has an episode, and he must get him the help he needs for his bipolar.
And Iggy will hopefully enlist the help of Wilder when he has a deaf patient whose parents need help adapting.
Wednesday, October 26
9/8c A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting (HBO)
“We can change other people’s lives in a positive manner because that is what the victims would have wanted.”
A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting recounts the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history and the community that came together in its aftermath.
I’ve seen this documentary, and it’s a tribute to those that died and those who lived through the terrible attack, who still manage to have love in their hearts.
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 continues its stellar storytelling streak with “Motherland.”
With Serena standing in a place very similar to the one she once subjected June to, June still offers her advice to the new mother.
Recalling that advice, June listens to Commander Lawrence’s plans for New Bethlehem with a new frame of thought.
10/9c Reginald The Vampire (SYFY)
The time is 1972; the place is Oakland, California. This is when Angela met Maurice, and that changed everything.
The background of Maurice and Angela gets revealed.
Reginald deals with the consequences of breaking his promise to Maurice and also with the repercussions of revealing his special power.
10/9c Big Sky: Deadly Trails (ABC)
Cassie, Jenny, and Beau team up to take a closer look at what’s happening in the woods near Sunny Days.
But they may not realize just how close to danger they are.
Speaking of danger, Walter is still on the loose, and there’s no telling what he’ll do next.
Thursday, October 27
Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+)
I swear to the Prophets this is the best season finale Lower Decks has delivered so far.
Their season-long arc has been meticulously seeded to grow into a labyrinthine, multi-layered, mind-blowing onion blossom of a climax.
That guy? Yeah, he’s a baddie. That character we’ve all been waiting for? Yeah, she’s back. Hang onto your warp cores, folks; this is gonna rock your galaxy!
Star Trek: Prodigy (Paramount+)
It’s been a long wait, but we finally get to see how the premiere season of this Nickelodeon/Paramount+ co-produced animated Trek series concludes!
After the crazy wild mid-season finale left us with Zero driving The Diviner mad and IRL Vice-Admiral Janeway en route to the Delta Quadrant, where does the Protostar head next?
Will Dal find his origins? Will the crew find the Federation? Will Gwyn remember the Protostar’s deadly secret before it’s too late?
8/7c Station 19 (ABC)
Prepare for lots of Halloween fun, with Beckett, surprisingly, leading the charge in all things spooky.
The unit responds to a carnival where things escalate when a fire breaks out in a corn maze, and they have to rescue everyone.
Meanwhile, Maya places her life on the line to prove herself to Beckett.
8/7c Law & Order (NBC)
While last time around, Price fought to have evidence kept in, this time, he has to try to keep a shocking fact or two out.
It all has to do with a web of blackmail and lies that Shaw and Cosgrove work hard to untangle.
This sounds like a different kind of case! We’re down for that.
9/8c Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
This is another one of those cases where someone turns to SVU to help, setting off a chain reaction of events.
This time, it’s a young man who’s convinced his boss is preying on his sister — is he right?
Meanwhile, Valesco has a story of his own involving a reluctant witness who must testify. What’s up with that?
10/9c Law & Order: Organized Crime (NBC)
An old case rears its head again when Stabler is asked to testify in court against the Brotherhood. And Kelli Giddish guest stars as Rollins helps Stabler uncover a gang of fake cops that are raping citizens, too.
Meanwhile, Reyes gets some new info about the Silas family, while Bell gets some unpleasant news.
Could Denise be asking for full custody? It wouldn’t be surprising, considering that Bell keeps prioritizing work over her turn with the infant.
9/8c Grey’s Anatomy(ABC)
Can you think of a crazier and more fun time to be at a hospital than on Halloween night?
The ER is jumping as tons of crazy cases flood in, and the interns get initiated into the fun, including practicing trauma on a real cadaver!
Nick and Mer desperately try to find some alone time together.
10/9c CSI: Vegas (CBS)
All the guests attending an upscale fundraising soiree for the science department at a local university fall ill.
So the CSI team gears up to investigate.
Also, Catherine enlists Grace’s roommate to help her find clues after Grace disappears.
Friday, October 28
All Quite on the Western Front (Netflix)
All Quiet on the Western Front tells the gripping story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of World War I.
Paul and his comrades experience first-hand how the initial euphoria of war turns into desperation and fear as they fight for their lives and each other in the trenches.
The film from director Edward Berger is based on the world-renowned bestseller of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque.
We’ll have an early review of the film on Thursday, so keep an eye out for it.
Louis Armstrong’s Black and Blues (Apple TV+)
Another movie worthy of your time, this definitive documentary, directed by Sacha Jenkins, honors Armstrong’s legacy as a founding father of jazz, one of the first internationally known and beloved stars, and a cultural ambassador of the United States.
The film shows how Armstrong’s own life spans the shift from the Civil War to the Civil Rights movement, and how he became a lightning rod figure in that turbulent era.
With the full support of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, the filmmakers have access to a treasure trove of rare archival materials, including hundreds of hours of audio recordings, film footage, photographs, personal diaries, and a life’s worth of ephemera for exclusive use in the first significant documentary dedicated entirely to his life.
The Peripheral (Amazon Prime)
Flynne and Wilf start their search for Aelita, but she still keeps her guard up around him. Who can she really trust?
Burton tries to protect everyone and takes steps to eliminate a new threat.
As the hunt continues, the stakes get higher, and Flynne finds herself at risk once again.
8/7c S.W.A.T. (CBS)
What will 20-Squad get into this time?
The squad will, once again, be dealing with something big, but they will definitely be able to handle it.
Make sure to watch to find out!
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.
The director also revealed that he is “not a film buff” and rarely watches a movie more than once.
Park Chan-wook’s “Decision to Leave’ was one of the most acclaimed films of the 2022 festival season, winning Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival before competing in Venice and Toronto. Many have praised the “Oldboy” director’s ability to blend aspects of the film noir with more conventional romance tropes, but that doesn’t mean he considers himself a fan of the genre.
In a new interview with The Film Stage, Park explained that “Decision to Leave” should not be read as an homage to film noir. In fact, he was far more influenced by mystery novels than he was by any cinema genre.
“This might sound surprising, but I’m not the biggest fan of the noir genre,” he said. “I’m not really a film buff either. I don’t rewatch the same movie multiple times. There is a charming element about the noir genre, but for a lot of noir films sometimes the plot fails, or the plot feels too artificial, or it relies too much on cliché. Of course, this is excluding the great noir films. Noir films also sometimes feel a bit more stylized. So I wasn’t very conscious of the noir genre. I was more influenced by detective novels, like Ed McBain’s series and the Swedish series with detective Martin Beck.”
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His thoughts about the film noir genre echo similar comments he recently made to IndieWire’s Eric Kohn during an interview conducted at the Toronto International Film Festival. There, he explained that he prioritized the film’s romantic storyline as a way of rectifying what he saw as a flaw with many film noirs.
“My film starts out as a film noir and ends as a romance,” Park said. “Most film noirs are too obsessed with creating the ambience and focusing on the dark mood. They fail to bring out the multidimensional facets of life.”
“I have always considered that I have been making love stories,” he continued. “But I realized at one point that nobody has been saying that about my films. They even laugh when I make that kind of comment and take it as a joke. That got me into thinking about why. My assessment was that perhaps violence and nudity were really just at the forefront of everything. It was just too strong, too graphic. This time around, I really had to subdue these things to show something different.”
It looks like Tom Brady won’t be making a major life change to win back Gisele Bündchen.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Bündchen had hired a divorce lawyer after months of living apart from the quarterback. At the time, a source told People that Brady was “trying to figure out what to do.”
One thing he’s not going to do? Leave the NFL. Despite previously admitting that time away from his family has caused tension in his marriage, Brady says he’s remaining loyal…to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “I love the sport, I love the teammates, and I want to go do a good job for this team like I always have,” he said during a recent press conference. “So, no retirement in my future.”
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Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen have been married since 2009 and share two children: 12-year-old Benjamin and nine-year-old Vivian. He also has a 15-year-old son named Jack from a previous relationship. Rumors of a rift between the couple began after Brady changed his mind about retiring from football.
“Obviously, I have my concerns—this is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present,” Bündchen told Elle in her October issue cover story. “I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again. But ultimately, I feel that everybody has to make a decision that works for [them]. He needs to follow his joy too.”
More recently, however, Bündchen seemed to confirm her frustrations with a subtle, yet pointed Instagram comment. On October 11, the supermodel replied to Instagram quote from 8 Rules of Love by Jay Shetty with the advice, “You can’t be in a committed relationship with someone who is inconsistent with you. Read that again.” Bündchen responded with a prayer emoji.
IDA: Tell us about yourself. What is your profession (or passion)?
Nazanin Nematollahi: Born and raised in Iran after the Islamic revolution of 1979, which was already engaged in a war, I always felt unheard. I was raised in a family that lost two young boys in the Iran-Iraq war. All my childhood was filled with the trauma of war, uncertainty, and void. Considering the brutal and misogynistic nature of the new regime, I never felt safe as a child and young girl in that society. I survived sexual abuse and constant harassment in my years of education and later in the workforce. Experiencing all that maltreatment made me resilient and thirsty for change. I became an educator to help my young sisters survive and thrive. But I never felt this was enough. As a first generation attending higher education, I always felt a lack of enough exposure to cultural values. In a closed country such as Iran, I had to smuggle forbidden books and movies to learn what was happening outside the borders of Iran. I became a flight attendant to find the opportunity to travel internationally and learn about other cultures.
Finally, in 2015 my life partner and I left Iran for San Francisco as Graduate students first and then as political Asylum seekers. The Iranian government makes the lives of Documentary filmmakers and activists really hard and unsafe. I think all of these life experiences really inform my work and the way I perceive the world.
IDA: Why did you choose a career in documentary filmmaking?
NN: I’m kind of a late bloomer. I had never owned a camera or worked with one until my mid-20s. I am always amazed when hearing my American friends say their grandparents even had a camera. Cultural differences made me feel I was so behind (laughing)! By saving one year of my income, I bought a camcorder and started exploring filmmaking. I made a few short docs and fiction for a couple of years in Iran. With the propagandist nature of Iran’s media, I never felt safe making films about educational and human rights issues. The authorities constantly were creating many problems for my team and me. Despite the hardship, I knew I had found my passion and wanted to be a visual storyteller.
IDA: Tell us a little about what you are working on right now?
NN: I have been working on two feature-length documentaries for the last five years. Tehran MocA, and My Body your Soul. The first one is Tehran MoCA and the other is My Body Your Soul which is fiscally sponsored by IDA.
IDA: Tell us more about each project?
NN:Tehran MoCA is an investigative documentary examining the condition of an extensive collection of western art worth more than 3 billion dollars hidden in the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art since 1979. This collection of Abstract Expressionism and American pop art includes artworks from Kandinsky, Pollock, Rothko, Hockney, and Warhol, among others. Since the collection is not aligned with the regime’s Islamic revolutionary ideologies, the collection was locked away in the museum vault for decades. This collection has been in constant danger of damage and perishing through revolution, war, and harsh preservation conditions. You can watch a little excerpt about the film here (4 minutes)
My Body Your Soul illuminates the challenges of two feminist immigrant Iranian visual artists based in the Bay Area. Utilizing their female gaze, they create art forms that embrace bodily autonomy while confronting religious and media censorship.
Right now I’m in the process of securing funding and grants for both of these projects. I am also looking for mentors to help me bring these works to life and guide me through the process! I am devoted to finishing my projects by the end of 2023 and having them in the festival circuit in 2024. For more information, feel free to check out my website
I’m also always looking for communities so if you are interested in any of these works please contact me! naznematollahi85@gmail.com
IDA: What do you think needs to change in the industry for it to be a more equitable one?
NN: As many other Mid Career filmmakers can attest to this, I think a lot needs to change. Access is one of the main issues for filmmakers like me who were not born here. Organizations need to be equitable both in words and action. Marginalized people need to be given a voice. I think a lot more care needs to be had around the process of grants and funding. One of my main issues is when people don’t give feedback, I understand it but rejections are a learning opportunity for many marginalized people.
IDA: What would you like to leave our readers with?
NN: I would like to encourage everyone to please go and learn about what is happening in Iran right now! This is the time that the documentary industry in the US has to stand in solidarity and support the women-led revolution happening in Iran. I hope to see such support in this crucial time. Iranian women need an international voice. Any support means a lot in stopping the government from killing young women and men in the streets of Iran. For a future without tension and maltreatment.
Hurricane Roslyn grew to Category 4 force on Saturday as it headed for a collision with Mexico’s Pacific coast, likely north of the resort of Puerto Vallarta.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Roslyn’s maximum sustained winds had increased to 130 mph (215 kph) early Saturday, and it was expected to grow still further.
The storm was centered about 170 miles (275 kilometers) south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes– the point of land jutting into the Pacific south of Puerto Vallarta– and moving north-northwest at 8 mph (13 kph).
The forecast called for Roslyn to begin shifting to a northward movement and then northeast, putting it on path that could take it close to Cabo Corrientes and the Puerto Vallarta region on Saturday night or early Sunday before making landfall in Nayarit state on Sunday morning.
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Hurricane Orlene made landfall Oct. 3 a little farther north in roughly the same region, about 45 miles (75 kilometers) southeast of the resort of Mazatlan.
Hurricane-force winds extended out 30 miles (45 kilometers) from Roslyn’s core, while tropical storm-force winds extended out to 80 miles (130 kilometers), the U.S. hurricane center said.
Mexico issued a hurricane warning covering a stretch of coast from Playa Perula south of Cabo Corrientes north to El Roblito and for the Islas Marias.
Seemingly oblivious to the danger just hours away, tourists ate breakfast at beachside eateries around Puerto Vallarta and smaller resorts further north on the Nayarit coast, where Roslyn is expected to hit.
Hurricane Fiona: Biden announces $60 million in aid to Puerto Rico to help with recovery
While skies began to cloud up, waves remained normal, and few appeared to be rushing to take precautions.
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“The place is full of tourists,” said Patricia Morales, a receptionist at the Punta Guayabitas hotel in the laid-back beach town of the same name. Asked what precautions were being taken, Morales said, “They (authorities) haven’t told us anything.”
The Nayarit state government said the hurricane is expected to make landfall Sunday around the fishing village of San Blas, about 90 miles (150 kms) north of Puerto Vallarta.
The National Water Commission said rains from Roslyn could cause mudslides and flooding. and the U.S. hurricane center warned of dangerous storm surge along the coast, as well as 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of rain..
Jalisco state Gov. Enrique Alfaro said on Twitter that any school activities in the region would be cancelled Saturday and he urged people to avoid touristic activities at beaches and in mountainous areas over the weekend.
The Season 1 finale of “House of the Dragon” was leaked online on Friday, two days before the episode airs on HBO and begins streaming on HBO Max.
It appears that the leak came from a distribution partner in Europe, the Middle East or Africa, a spokesperson for HBO told Variety.
“We are aware that the tenth episode of ‘House of the Dragon’ has been posted on illegal torrent sites. It appears to have originated from a distribution partner in the EMEA region,” the full statement reads. “HBO is aggressively monitoring and pulling these copies from the internet. We’re disappointed that this unlawful action has disrupted the viewing experience for loyal fans of the show, who will get to see a pristine version of the episode when it premieres Sunday on HBO and HBO Max, where it will stream exclusively in 4K.”
While this is seemingly the first-ever leak for “House of the Dragon,” the franchise is no stranger to this issue. “Game of Thrones” frequently fell victim to piracy, especially in the final seasons, when so many leaks occurred that HBO opted to cease offering advance screeners to the press. This still didn’t prevent the problem. In Season 8, for example, episodes appeared on both illegal sites and on legitimate platforms such as DirecTV Now and Amazon Prime Video’s German platform ahead of their scheduled airings.
For some theater fans, the 1936 production of the “Voodoo Macbeth” (as it became commonly known) is the stuff of legend. Funded by the Federal Theater Project, which gave financial aid to the struggling theater community during the Great Depression, the “Voodoo Macbeth” starred a cast of black performers in an imaginative new staging of William Shakespeare’s so-called “Scottish Play,” set in Haiti in the early 1800s.
The show was a mammoth success, critically acclaimed and financially successful, and not for nothing, it was one of the more noteworthy early accomplishments of a 20-year-old thespian and director named Orson Welles.
While Welles’s theater days have been the subject of biopics before, with films like “Cradle Will Rock” and “Me and Orson Welles” dramatizing his imaginative stagings, the new film “Voodoo Macbeth” may be the first to properly depict this particular landmark production. It’s attractively filmed and, mostly, solidly performed, taking some historical liberties but otherwise getting the gist of the tale out in the open for new generations to discover and appreciate.
And although the film is credited to ten (!) directors and eight (another !) screenwriters, it’s an impressively cohesive motion picture. This is not a scattershot production, nor does it play like a game of exquisite corpse. The successes are uniform, the vision consistent, and even the parts worth criticizing are confidently presented. In an industry where conventional wisdom states too many cooks spoil the soup, “Voodoo Macbeth” is a rather hearty stew.
The story picks up quickly, as celebrated actor Rose McClendon (Inger Tudor) has convinced producer John Houseman to use funds for the Negro Theater Unit to produce Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” featuring an all-black cast. Houseman’s primary contribution is the young director, Welles, whose ambition and talent are matched only by his hubris. And his boozing. And his inadequacies as a husband. And although the movie presents his story as a journey of personal growth, he starts out pretty danged racist. He even turns down the offer because “There aren’t enough negro actors who understand Shakespeare, let alone speak it.”
Welles is portrayed by Jewell Wilson Bridges, making his big-screen debut. Bridges can absolutely carry a film and is convincing as a talented blowhard with a lot of growing up to do. But to “Voodoo Macbeth’s” detriment, he’s never quite convincing as Welles. He neither looks the part, sounds the part, nor does his physicality particularly evoke any of the famed thespian’s well-known qualities. If the film didn’t introduce Welles in an amusing bit of biographical foreshadowing — as he argues with a radio director who wants him to place emphasis on unusual words in an advertisement (as the real Welles would do later in life) — you might be forgiven for thinking he was playing some other “Orson Welles” and not the famous one.
Welles assembles a mostly white crew and is promptly told to fire almost all of them, including his wife Virginia (June Schreiner, “Chicago Med”), because the purpose of the Negro Theater Unit was not to provide theatrical work for white people. Over the course of the film, Welles makes romantic advances to his stars, balks at a gay actor playing the lead role (“I can’t send out a queen for a king!”) and practically ruins his marriage. “Voodoo Macbeth” deserves credit for taking the myth of Welles’ early theatrical genius down to Earth a bit, for not giving Welles too much credit for the group’s efforts and for using this story of inclusivity in the early 1930s as a parallel for the modern entertainment industry, which still — nearly 100 years later — has a lot of work to do in the same department.
The cast is rife with standout performances. Inger Tudor is a captivating actor playing a captivating actor, injecting the film with much needed gravitas and dignity. Wrekless Watson finds sensitivity and intensity in the role of Cuba Johnson, a fictionalized version of actor Canada Lee, whose identity was seemingly altered to add a probably-apocryphal love story to the proceedings. If only all of the performances were as rich and effective; Hunter Bodine (“Karen”), who plays none-too-subtly villainous Congressman Martin Dies Jr., and June Schreiner play their roles with a less convincing and mannered archness.
A few hiccups aside — and some historical inaccuracies that are likely to annoy only the most passionate theater fans — the vast majority of “Voodoo Macbeth” is an entirely handsome, professional production. Bash Achkar’s cinematography is bright and welcoming, telling the story without distraction. The production design, art direction and set decoration evoke some of the more attractive (albeit tightly budgeted) period pieces of the turn of the 21st century. And the music by Jongnic Bontemps (“Wedding Season”) effectively amplifies the drama, except for a single, giggly moment when a climactic line of heavy-handed foreshadowing for Welles’ film career cues up an intense orchestral theme, à la the sequel tease from the end of “Batman Begins.”
What’s perhaps most remarkable about “Voodoo Macbeth” is how this satisfying if sometimes inconsistent biopic plays like a manifesto. It imagines a world in which the artistic community is expanding to a point where all voices can be heard, opportunities are available for everyone, and the people who need to change their deeply problematic ways aren’t immediately capable of doing so but (at least eventually) willing. By connecting the needs of the entertainment industry today with an inspiring story from the cultural past, it’s an optimistic reminder that history can sometimes repeat itself in good ways too — even though it’s still a tragedy that it has to.
“Voodoo Macbeth” opens in theaters Oct. 21 via Lightyear Entertainment.
BravoCon took place last week in New York, where we were introduced to the new cast of “The Real Housewives of New York City” while also receiving news about the upcoming legacy series with the OG cast members.
Variety released a list of 27 great films that flopped at the box office, begging the question of where does the industry stand on taking chances on great films that may not appeal to mass audiences? This leads to a discussion about the upcoming opening for “Black Adam,” which is tracking for a decent opening, but perhaps not one that will make back its hefty $195 million budget.
Netflix revealed this week that it added 2.4 million subscribers to its base, while also stating it will no longer release projection forecasts beginning in 2023. This comes on the heels of the streamer gearing up to release its ad-tier option in November.
Hosted by Variety chief correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister and senior awards editor Clayton Davis, Variety’s “The Take,” presented by Apple TV+, is a weekly series that navigates the week’s top stories from entertainment, pop culture and media, while providing expert analysis and exclusive insight on what’s buzzing in Hollywood. Filmed in Variety’s state-of-the-art studio in Los Angeles, new episodes are released on Fridays on Variety.com, YouTube and social media.
German broadcasting group WDR is traveling back in time with the newly restored 1983 cult sci-fi series “The Visitors.”
The Czechoslovakian show is set in 2484, a utopian future in which humanity is united under one common government, advised in all decisions by a computer known as “the central thinker,” and where hunger, disease and war have been eradicated. When Earth finds itself suddenly threatened by an imminent collision with a comet, however, leading academic Filip and three comrades travel back to 1984 in a contemporary-looking Lada Niva in search of a lost formula that enables the shifting of planets, which could save Earth.
Created by Ota Hofman and Jindřich Polák, the team behind the classic 1970s Czechoslovak children’s series “Pan Tau,” “The Visitors” was known domestically as “Návštěvníci,” “Die Besucher” in West Germany and “Expedition Adam 84” in East Germany.
The series also boasts costumes and props designed by Theodor Pištěk, who won an Oscar in 1985 for his costume design work on Miloš Forman’s “Amadeus.”
“The Visitors” was co-produced by Ceskoslovenska Televize, West Germany’s WDR and BR, Swiss broadcaster SRG and France’s Revcom Television.
WDR’s home entertainment division, Release Company, is releasing the series under the German title “Die Besucher” as a DVD and Blu-ray Collector’s Edition on Nov. 4. In addition to the complete series, digitally restored in HD, the collector’s edition includes a 30-minute bonus making-of film and a trailer show of Czechoslovakian children’s classics.
The Release Company distributes content from WDR and other affiliate broadcasters of the ARD group, including current new productions and archive titles going back nearly 70 years.
Even at the run time of a little over one hour, ZEE5’s latest film Lahore Confidential is not intriguing. It tries to project itself as an espionage drama, based on Indo-Pakistan relationship and distrust, but uses no context whatsoever to rest its storyline on. The mere fact that the two neighbouring countries have been on not-so-friendly terms does not seem enough to carry the film forward. Moreover, this one has no juice or even a decent plot to be taken seriously. On top of everything, the cast also appears misfit.
Ananya (Richa Chadha) is sent to Pakistan on a diplomatic assignment. There she meets Yukti (Karishma Tanna), who is a RAW agent. The two women have different outlooks in life. While Yukti is fun-loving and gets joy out of risk-taking, Ananya is subdued and introspective in nature. Their camaraderie is acceptable to a point in the film but the give and take only works to a certain level as it does not help the story progress forward.
Enter Rauf (Arunoday Singh) who charms his way into Ananya’s life. But in the matters of the heart, she is bound to lose as he plays from the enemy’s side. Their romance takes the story ahead but the chemistry between the two is completely off-track. In fact, a couple of intimate scenes between Arunoday and Richa only indices more distraction. Ananya is seduced by the enemy, who she believes to be a vigilante. Will she betray her country for love?
It might be based on some ground realities, but Lahore Confidential does very little to push the envelope. We are just led from one scene into another without delving deep into anything. It’s nothing better than a half-hearted attempt.
Monica Bellucci was among the guests of honor at the 14th edition of the Lumière Film Festival in Lyon, where the Paris-based Italian icon discussed her latest film, “The Girl in the Fountain,” and looked back on her career.
In “The Girl in the Fountain,” which alternates archival footage of Hollywood icon Anita Ekberg with the story of Bellucci, the Italian actress retraces Ekberg’s frailties and choices, reflecting on what it feels like to be an icon.
The Swedish-born star was immortalized in Federico Fellini’s film, which sees her character wade into the Trevi fountain followed by Marcello Mastroianni.
“Through my eyes, you find out who this actress was, and it’s a piece of Italian history that we’re telling. But ‘La Dolce Vita’ isn’t just about post-war Italy – it has an international reach. At the time, there was so much creativity, there were so many great filmmakers – Fellini, Rossellini, Visconti, De Sica – it’s a part of the history of cinema,” she said.
Bellucci likened Ekberg’s arrival in Italy to a “tornado” – “this blonde, sexy, free woman, with a convertible car and her own house, in a country where a woman’s place was still in the kitchen…. It was a massive cultural contrast, which was scary for some.
Monica Belluci – Master Class – Pathé
Credit: Chassignole Olivier
“Today’s women learn a lot from such women: They were the first who challenged the established codes,” she added.
While she initially questioned director Antongiulio Panizzi’s choice – “I am so Mediterranean, she was so blonde and blue-eyed!” – Bellucci gradually understood it as she was shooting the film and the similarities between the two emerged.
Like Ekberg, Bellucci, too, left her home-country. And, like Ekberg, she has had to contend with the iconic status her beauty has granted her.
“Of course, being pretty helped open doors, it would be a lie to say otherwise, I was shy even though I talk a lot,” she smiled, “So beauty meant people came to me.
“But beauty only lasts five minutes if there’s nothing behind. What you must know is that, from the age of 40, they offer you roles as a witch!” she said mischievously, drawing laughter from the audience. “But you mustn’t cry, you must take on these roles: A whole new range [of roles] opens up. Before that, you were too young and pretty, and you must welcome this opportunity.”
When she shot the controversial “Irréversible” with Gaspar Noé in 2001, Bellucci, a former model, said she had no problem using her body as “a working tool”.
“An actor, like a dancer, uses his body as an instrument, just like a musician has his instrument. Today,” she added with a smile, “I use it much less – there’s a time for everything – but I came from the world of fashion, so I was used to using my body as a means of expression.”
While she said she understands that people can’t watch that film because of its violent content, she was interested in “the contrast between poetry, love and gentleness, and the terrible side of Man, who is both a marvellous and a monstrous being.”
“This film has that power, also in the way it was shot – with a 20-minute sequence – normally, that only happens in the theater,” she said, adding that the film is studied at university because that was something new in cinema.
Asked whether she preferred working with young or more experienced directors, Bellucci said: “You can work with both – you have to see the film once it’s completed to understand. I am open to everything – what matters is that I feel alive.”
Monica Bellucci’s latest film, “The Girl in the Fountain,” is out now.
The Lumière Film Festival runs in Lyon through Oct. 23.
Netflix’s “Wendell & Wild” may be on your radar as Jordan Peele’s first animated feature, but stop-motion fans will be flocking to their living rooms for the return of Henry Selick, the director behind such epics as “Coraline,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “James and the Giant Peach.”
Selick hasn’t occupied the director’s chair since his spooky 2009 masterpiece “Coraline,” so “Wendell & Wild,” co-written by Selick and Peele and produced by Peele under Monkeypaw Productions, has had horror and animation fans everywhere counting down the days until its debut.
Unfortunately, while this eye-popping feature makes the most of Selick’s creative sensibilities, its bloated script hobbles the (blood)flow. This film has everything: demons, zombies, penguin nuns, prosthetic feet, priests in pope hats, arson — and, of course, dead parents. “Wendell & Wild” is jam-packed with so many characters and capital-I issues that one could likely fill an entire dinner conversation describing its plot.
Nevertheless, here’s an attempt at abridgement: Kat (voiced by Lyric Ross, “This Is Us”) lost her parents in a car accident as a girl. She blames herself for the incident and ends up in juvie, only to return to a Catholic school in her hometown thanks to a program called “Break the Cycle.” The school, and her hometown, are on their last legs, and the greedy Klax Korp is eager to take over. At school, Kat quickly discovers she has supernatural powers and can summon demons.
Meanwhile demon brothers Wendell (Peele) and Wild (Peele’s former comedy partner Keegan-Michael Key) are fed up with the underworld, where they must endlessly apply hair cream to their father’s skull. Their bad dad, Buffalo Belzer (Ving Rhames), runs a ghoulish amusement park that tortures lost souls. Wendell and Wild want to build their own park and see an opportunity for freedom when Kat appears to them in a vision. They promise to resurrect her parents using the hair cream, which has ambiguous magical properties.
If those sound like the plots of two different movies, that’s because they probably should be. Where Selick’s other projects focus on fairy tale–like plots with clear goals and rules, “Wendell & Wild” ping-pongs between indiscriminate topics and only occasionally sticks the landing. “Whiplash-inducing” scarcely begins to describe this viewing experience, where the sullen punk Kat takes on childhood trauma and prison reform while Wendell and Wild squish bugs and build booger sculptures.
And while the monsters in this socially conscious movie are far more real than the rhino in “James and the Giant Peach” or the Other Mother of “Coraline,” they’re not even half as scary. For one, the patriarch behind Klax Korp is styled to look like a Black Donald Trump. For another, it’s difficult to build real stakes in a movie with such erratic focus.
Yet for all its foibles, “Wendell & Wild” is undeniably a visual feast. It’s impossible to watch any stop-motion film without appreciating its artistry, even more so when that film is directed by Henry Selick. Care and style ooze from every shot, whether of a tire rolling through a slushy pothole or a shapeshifting octopus. Clips in the credits show the animators’ painstaking work as they navigate enormous sets to bring detailed puppets to life. (For instance, the little demon Peele voices strikes a delightful resemblance.) Even if you enjoy “Wendell & Wild” on the small screen, you’ll find it difficult to look away.
The movie’s best gags and scares are primarily visual, too. A maggot-infested zombie offers some trademark Selick horror, and a pair of nuns who look uncannily like penguins shine in the ensemble. (The script spoils this gag a bit when a character outright calls the sisters “penguins,” but their names — Sister Chinstrap and Sister Daly — are a stroke of genius.)
This film also marks a reunion between Selick and French composer Bruno Coulais, whose jazzy riffs and haunting choir pieces helped make “Coraline” so unique. Coulais lends a similar, but not repetitive, flavor to “Wendell & Wild,” though the soundtrack also pays homage to old-school punk. You’re likely to find yourself humming the film’s gravedigging jam hours after the credits roll.
“Wendell & Wild” is hardly worth condemning to the underworld, but it will probably leave eager fans cold. Where the film draws comparison to Selick’s other iconic work — like his last film, which also revolved around a young, teenage girl with strangely colored hair — it falls short. Perhaps most disappointingly, this film is lacking in creepiness, a quality Selick and Peele should have been able to provide by the hearseload. The most memorable villain in “Wendell & Wild” is a Trump analog. That reference will last for a few decades at best. The terror of the Other Mother is forever.
Given its authorial heft, the greatest sin of “Wendell & Wild” isn’t that it’s flawed; it’s that it’s forgettable. Its tricks and treats make it worth a watch, but like a pillowcase full of Halloween candy, this movie is jumbled, unwieldy and likely to leave you feeling unsatisfied.
“Wendell & Wild” opens in select US theaters Oct. 21 and premieres on Netflix Oct. 28.
With the release of Aftersun in theaters this weekend, be sure to familiarize yourself with Paul Mescal’s BAFTA-winning turn in Normal People before you go see it. Based on the book by Sally Rooney, Normal People tells the story of Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Mescal), two Teenagers growing up in a small town in Ireland. While Connell is popular and well-liked, Marianne is hated with no friends. When they begin a secret relationship with one another, they are completely unaware that their lives are about to change, for better and worse. With its beautiful shots of various countries, from Ireland to Italy to Sweden, along with its careful depiction of coming-of-age and class, Normal People is a delicate romance to behold that you won’t want to stop watching. Bonus points if you develop an Irish accent by the time you’re done.
Paramount+ and HBO Max’s catalogs have the most demand for movies over 20 years old
Unsurprisingly, the most in-demand classic movie in September was “Top Gun,” which is still riding the high off its renewed relevance following the release of “Top Gun: Maverick” earlier this year.
While the original “Top Gun” had 44.9 times the average movie demand (impressive for a film over 35 years old), “Maverick” is still flying higher with 92 times the demand for the month, according to Parrot Analytics‘ data, which takes into account consumer research, streaming, downloads and social media, among other engagement.
In general, the most impactful movies a streaming platform can have are going to be current, buzzy, must-watch films that are powerful motivators for subscribers to sign up. However, as we see in this month’s data, classic movies can also be essential viewing. As franchises grow, original films in a franchise can see a renewed spike in attention. Even beyond these franchises, classic movies provide a familiar catalog of content for platforms to offer their subscribers.
Two movies from the original “Star Wars” trilogy were also among the most in-demand movies released 20 or more years ago. New Disney+ series this year have expanded the “Star Wars” universe and brought audiences back to the classics that kicked off the massive franchise. “Obi-Wan Kenobi” premiered in May and “Andor” released its first three episodes on Sept. 21. Smart franchise extensions like these allow Disney to not only cash in on the new series’ success but also benefit from increased attention on legacy content.
Demand for “The Nightmare Before Christmas” rose in the month leading to October, when it has seen a seasonal spike in demand.
“Predator 2” was among the 10 most in-demand classic movies last month following the release of the latest movie in the franchise, “Prey,” on Hulu. Demand for the movie actually peaked in mid-August around the time of “Prey’s” premiere and has fallen since then.
10 most in-demand classic movies on streaming, September 2022, U.S. (Parrot Analytics)
A number of timeless favorites with a high longevity also featured in the top 10. It’s no surprise to see that both “Forrest Gump” and “Titanic” still have strong demand decades after their release even without extensive franchises or the seasonal interest that has helped boost demand for some of the other films this month.
It may be a surprise to see “Anastasia” and “Spirited Away” as the most in-demand classic movies geared towards children given Disney’s deep catalog and traditional dominance among children’s content.
Looking at the relative importance of classic films to the libraries of U.S. streamers, we can see a few players leveraging this legacy content more than others. HBO Max had the greatest amount of total demand for its film library in September and the total demand for classic movies on the platform was more than on any of these other streamers. As a proportion of demand for all movies on the platform, films released 20 or more years ago made up 36% of demand for all movies available on HBO Max in September.
Total movie demand of top streaming platforms, September 2022, U.S. (Parrot Analytics)
Paramount+, however, was the platform with the largest share of demand for its movie catalog coming from classic movies — 40% of demand for movies on Paramount+ was for films that were released in 2002 or earlier. While Paramount has a deep reserve of classic movies to draw on for its streaming service, this number was boosted specifically by the recent success of the original “Top Gun,” available to stream exclusively on Paramount+.
Netflix managed to have the second-highest total demand for its movie catalog in September. Despite this, only 11% of this demand was for movies more than 20 years old — a much smaller share than other platforms. This underscores the effort (and expense!) that Netflix has had to put into building its film catalog with recent content. Unlike legacy media companies like Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix hasn’t been able to rest on decades of legacy content to bolster its film catalog. Fast forward 20 years and maybe things will look different with Netflix looking at today’s investments as tomorrow’s classics.
Christofer Hamilton is a senior insights analyst at Parrot Analytics, a WrapPRO partner. For more from Parrot Analytics, visit the Data and Analysis Hub.
In the opening scene of Miss Americana, the 2020 Netflix documentary about her life, Taylor Swift flips through her pink childhood diary and recalls her early credo: “The main thing that I always tried to be was a good girl.” Since then, she’s translated this value system into a career of wholesome hitmaking; even when she made herself over as a campy villain on reputation, the point was mostly to underscore how awkwardly the costume fit. But after so many years of defending the moral high ground—from ex-boyfriends, rappers, label executives—Swift started to admit her own fallibility. “I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror,” she sings on “Anti-Hero,” from Midnights, her tenth studio album. “It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero.”
The song sounds like the collision of three different Swift eras: There’s the lacquered synth-pop of 1989, the neurotic image analysis of reputation, the dense lyricism of folklore and evermore. Swift and trusted collaborator Jack Antonoff keep the production simple—a methodical drum loop, simmering synths—focusing in on a series of vignettes in which Swift is haunted by past mistakes. The verses are full of surprises, and a bit unruly; it’s almost like, after writing circles around her peers for ages, Swift got bored and set herself on absurd little challenges: Quadruple the rhymes in the prechorus? (Possibly) call back to 30 Rock? Imagine the twisted aftermath of your own murder? All these moments call attention to themselves, leaving a stronger impression of the song’s quirks than of the welcome levity it brings to Swift’s habit of self-mythologizing. She’s right that it’s sometimes exhausting to root for her, though not always for the reasons she thinks.
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Coming to theatres and to Netflix today, Friday, October 21: DESCENDANT
Director: Margaret Brown
World Premiere: Sundance 2022
Select Festivals: New York, SXSW, CPH:DOX, Camden, IFF Boston, Sidewalk, Mill Valley,
About: After a century shrouded in secrecy and speculation, descendants of the Clotilda – the last known ship carrying enslaved Africans to the United States – reclaim their story.
TOKYO — The man who married a former Japanese princess has passed the New York bar exam, defying detractors back home who had criticized their romance.
Kei Komuro’s name is on the list of those who passed the July New York state bar exam, which was posted Friday on The New York State Board of Law Examiners web site.
Komuro’s engagement to former Princess Mako, announced in 2017, prompted a widespread public outcry, mostly on social media and in the tabloids. One reason was a financial problem of Komuro’s mother, although that’s since been resolved.
Komuro, 31, a graduate of Fordham University law school, has a job at a New York law firm, and has been living in New York with Mako, a museum curator. She gave up her royal status last year when she married Komuro. All Japanese princesses relinquish their royal status upon marriage, as there is only male succession in the Japanese imperial family.
Speculation has now moved to how much money Komuro might be earning as a lawyer, instead of when he might be getting fired.
Reports said Komuro’s shaky standing will improve with the imperial family, the couple may move from Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan to a ritzier neighborhood, and Komuro’s mom may move in with them.
Japan appears modern on the surface, but values about family and women are rooted in feudal practices. Many Japanese are also often jealous of people who study abroad or get jobs with international companies.
Local media say the couple are like Romeo and Juliet, and have used the Japanese equivalent of the phrase: “the third time is the charm.” Komuro failed the bar in his two previous attempts.
It’s common for people to pass after multiple attempts. Of the 9,609 candidates for the latest exam, the passing rate was 66% at 6,350 people, including Komuro.
The couple did without any fancy wedding, registered their marriage and took off to New York in November last year. They met while attending Tokyo’s International Christian University a decade ago.
The Japanese tabloids had stalked the couple in New York, taking snapshots and commenting snidely about Mako’s casual clothes, which struck a contrast with the usual staid formal wear of Japan’s imperial family.
Other princesses have married commoners and left the palace. But the reaction to Komuro and Mako was especially frenzied, much of it focusing on whether he would be able to support his wife.
Mako, who turns 31 Sunday, is the niece of Emperor Naruhito, who also married a commoner, Masako. Masako, a Harvard graduate, suffered depression in the cloistered imperial life. Former Emperor Akihito, Naruhito’s father, was the first member of the imperial family to marry a commoner.
The family holds no political power but serves as a symbol of the nation, attending ceremonial events and visiting disaster zones.
When Komuro returned from the U.S. last year to marry Mako, they were reunited for the first time in three years.
Mako said then: “He is someone I cannot do without.”
Komuro echoed her devotion: “I want to live the only life I have with the person I love.”
Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
EXCLUSIVE: TheGrio, the African American-focused news, lifestyle, sports and entertainment platform owned by Byron Allen, is set to launch The Grio With Eboni K. Williams and The Grio with Marc Lamont Hill, a daily two-hour news block beginning Monday, October 24 on TheGrio Television Network. It will also be available via TheGrio streaming app.
Hosted by author and television personality Williams, and author, activist, and scholar Hill, each one-hour program will feature critical news and information in the U.S. and around the world, along with a unique perspective and analysis of world news and events, according to Allen Media Group.
Williams currently hosts and is executive producer of the Warner Music Group podcast Holding Court With Eboni K. Williams. In addition to guest hosting ABC’s The View, Williams previously co-hosted the late-night talk show State of the Culture on Revolt TV and was host and executive producer of Revolt Black News. Williams also starred on season 13 of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City, becoming the show’s first Black cast member. Her new book, Bet On Black: The Good News About Being Black In America, will be published in 2023.
Hill has been named one of the 100 Most Influential Black Leaders by Ebony magazine and The Root 100. As a social activist, he has led numerous campaigns to free political prisoners and stop executions. A longtime staple in mainstream media, Hill has offered incisive political commentary on television outlets including CNN, BET, and Fox News. Hill has also been the host of programs including BET News, Our World With Black Enterprise, Upfront, VH1 Live and Huffpost Live. He is the author of seven books, including the New York Times bestseller Nobody.
“Eboni K. Williams and Marc Lamont Hill are extremely talented, very smart, and will bring much-needed new voices to the global conversation,” said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “The Grio News has a strong and trusted relationship with the Black community. Allen Media Group is committed to investing heavily in The Grio, working with the best talent, and increasing our worldwide distribution as we continue to deliver excellence.”
“I am thrilled to join The Grio and lead a show that centers on Black culture and directly speaks to what our people need to know relating to the American legal system,” said Williams. “We know the system is rigged, but each night I’ll give the people what they need to know in order to successfully navigate it and relentlessly pursue justice.”
“This is an exciting time to be launching these bold new shows,” said Hill. “Given the current social, political, and economic climate, we have an opportunity to provide programming that informs, inspires, and empowers our community. Our goal is not to play nice, but to tell the truth from our perspective.”
YouTube has raised the price on the YouTube Premium Family plan, the version of its ad-free, offline-viewing and music subscription service that provides access to up to six accounts.
In the U.S., the price of YouTube Premium Family has gone up from $17.99 to $22.99 per month, an increase of 28%. According to Google, for existing members, the new monthly rate will go into effect for the first billing cycle that occurs at least 30 days after customers have been notified of the price increase.
“We don’t make these decisions lightly, and we realize how hard this may be for our members,” a YouTube rep said in a statement. “This new price reflects the complete value of YouTube Premium and will allow us to develop even more Premium features and continue to support the creators and artists you watch and listen to on YouTube.”
The YouTube Premium Individual plan remains $11.99/month, while the Student plan (available only to eligible full-time students) is still $6.99/month.
YouTube Premium eliminates zero ads on all content, including music, provides downloads for offline viewing or listening as well as background playback (meaning you can continue to listen to audio if you’re using other apps or if the screen is locked). The video giant also sells the ad-free YouTube Music Premium service for $9.99 per month in the U.S.
Google a year ago said YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium had surpassed 50 million total subscribers. The company doesn’t routinely disclose those subscriber figures.
YouTube Premium initially launched as YouTube Red in 2015, and part of the subscription pitch at the time was exclusive access to original series including those from PewDiePie, the Try Guys and MyLifeAsEva’s Eva Gutowski. Google rebranded the service YouTube Premium in 2018, and eventually wound down its production of most original content. It still acquires kids and families original programming and content out of its Black Voices Fund, but none of that is behind a paywall.
“She will direct herself. It’ll never work,” Redford told director Sydney Pollack of the “controlling” EGOT winner at the time.
Hubbell’s girl may be lovely, but Robert Redford’s co-star on “The Way We Were” allegedly wasn’t, according to the actor.
In an oral history of the iconic 1973 romance “The Way We Were,” director Sydney Pollack recalled Redford voicing his concerns over working with Barbra Streisand due to her perceived “controlling” reputation on set. (The pair, five decades later, are now, of course, friends.)
Redford was particularly concerned with the “Funny Girl” Oscar winner’s musical background, saying, “She’s not going to sing, is she? I [don’t] want her to sing in the middle of the movie.”
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The “whole concept of basing a movie on Barbra as a serious actress,” per Pollack, proved to be a pivotal factor for Redford, while Streisand and the director were determined to get Redford to commit to the role, despite the studio and producer Ray Stark pushing for Ryan O’Neal.
“Barbra had never worked with a really strong leading man,” Pollack said. “She has a tendency to take over a picture, just by the size of her talent and larger-than-life presence. It’s hard for a costar to stay in the same ring with her.”
According to Pollack, only Redford could go toe-to-toe with the star. “In acting, you have to sense that there’s a reserve somewhere, that you’re seeing the top of the iceberg,” Pollack said. “Redford makes you come to him as a performer. He holds his ground, and you either enter his turf or you don’t get it. Period. He will not court you…I spent literally eight months beating him to death in order to get him to do it. I would not let him off the hook.”
Pollack would not helm the feature if O’Neal was cast, while Streisand said, “Ray Stark seemed to think that any blond actor would do, but I wouldn’t give up on Redford.”
The “A Star Is Born” actress added, “In those days, I wanted to be an actress, not a singer.”
The tension between Redford and Streisand continued during production, with Redford wearing “two athletic supporters for his love scene with Streisand, who chose to don a bikini” to not get too close with the actress, who was known for being romantically involved with her co-stars.
The success of “The Way We Were” spurred rumors of a sequel, with Redford and Streisand reportedly both receiving $8 million for the follow-up feature. Pollack told gossip columnist Marilyn Beck that Streisand’s Katie and Redford’s Hubbell would reunite “when she phones for help with their daughter, who’s grown up to be a Berkeley hippie with a drug problem. They’ll get back together permanently. And happily.”
Yet Pollack later told an audience at an event hosted by critic Judith Crist in 1982 that Hubbell (Redford) would have an affair with his daughter’s roommate at Berkeley, but that “I know that Redford and Barbra should end up together somehow. I don’t know how.”
Screenwriter Arthur Laurents penned a sequel titled “The Way We Changed,” straying away from Streisand’s character and instead focusing on Redford’s relationship with his daughter. However, Redford said he was done with the role of Hubbell.
“I didn’t, but Barbra did,” Redford said of wanting to make a sequel.
Streisand noted, “It’s a powerful love story, and the sequel was important to me because these characters were so compelling. I wanted to know how their lives unfolded and I envisioned a story in which their daughter, now in college and politically active herself, inadvertently brings them back together. Both have changed in ways that make them more aligned politically, while their feelings for each other remain the same, so it’s inevitable that they reconnect. I still regret that we didn’t make it.”
There’s no place like home! Making your personal space warm and inviting can be a daunting task, but interior designer Leanne Ford is sharing her tips on how to make your house feel fresh and cozy without breaking the bank.
The first step the HGTV star encourages people to take when attempting to make a room feel brand new is to edit. “Look around your space — what can you get rid of? If it’s not serving a purpose or beautiful, ditch it,” Ford exclusively tells Us Weekly noting that it is important to be as “brutal” as possible while tidying. “Getting rid of visual clutter [can make a huge] difference. Everything must go!”
Photo Credit: Sarah Barlow
The concept of decluttering and tossing things that don’t spark joy was made popular by Japanese organizing consultant and author Marie Kondo. For the items you do not want to say farewell to, Ford suggests corralling the knick-knacks that may contribute to your home’s disorganization.
Home Again with the FordsPhoto Credit: Erin Kelly
“We all have collections of things and stuff. The [secret] is to keep it all together,” the Restored by the Fords star reveals. Ford recommends using eye-catching vintage bowls on an entry table for things like your keys, or utilizing a spare shelf for your special mementos and collectibles. “Let it all live closely together for visual effect. Bowls and baskets are your besties!”
If you want to change up your home, the TV personality insists you don’t need a big budget or fancy designer — you can do it all yourself! “Play with what you have,” urges Ford. “Rearrange furniture, move your art, look at your room differently and open your mind. Let yourself [have fun].”
Photo Credit: Sarah Barlow
The Ohio University grad released Feel Free, a brand new art and home magazine now available on newsstands. In the latest issue, she reveals how color choices can make a powerful impact.
“I show some amazing before and afters. You wouldn’t believe how fresh your space will feel with a new coat of paint,” says the TV host. “I even have a quiz in the magazine for you … to paint or not to paint your brick,” teases Ford. “It’s a polarizing subject, but let’s just say I never met a white brick wall I didn’t love.”
One lesson to take from Ford is to think outside the box when on the hunt for new decor options while encouraging people to get crafty. The expert decorator advises staying “in neutral and tonal colors” if looking to make something chic.
“We are all creative. If you don’t want to hang your own work on your walls, then do some art with a friend and swap,” Ford suggests. “I use white a lot in my work because, quite frankly, it’s kind of an easy win. It always looks good.”
Ekta Kapoor has requested the Indian government and humanitarian organisation Kenya Red Cross to help find Zulfikar Ahmad Khan, former Chief Operating Officer (COO) of her banner Balaji Telefilms. Khan went missing in Nairobi in the third week of July this year. In an Instagram post, Ekta shared a photograph of Khan and wrote, “Our Ex-COO of Balaji Telefilms Limited has disappeared from Nairobi almost three months ago I request the Ministry of External Affairs and Kenya Red Cross to kindly look into this.”
The makers of Phone Bhoot have dropped a new promo of their film raising excitement among all. The promo featured Sheeba Chaddha as a ‘chudail’ and shared a glimpse of what happens when she meets two ghostbusters – Siddhant and Ishaan. The 48-seconds was surely a laughter ride and promised that the film will be a blockbuster comedy. Starring Katrina Kaif, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ishaan Khatter in the lead, Phone Bhoot will hit theatres on November 4, 2022.
India chapter of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) has shared a list of the top ten Indian movies of all time. Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali has topped the list. Released in 1955, Pather Panchali was based on Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s Bengali novel of the same name and was the first installment in Apu Trilogy of films. Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Amjad Khan, Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan’s 1975 movie Sholay is also on the 10th spot of the list.
Ever since Sajid Khan’s participation in Salman Khan’s Bigg Boss 16, there have been complaints from a lot of industry people and netizens as the filmmaker was accused of sexual misconduct by several women during the Me Too movement. Now, Sherlyn Chopra has accused the filmmaker of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation. She filed a police complaint against him at the Juhu police station in Mumbai. “I didn’t have the courage earlier to file a complaint against a big name like him. After #MeToo, women stepped forward. He should be jailed,” she said as quoted by ANI.
Late actress Vaishali Takkar’s family fulfilled her wish and donated her eyes before her cremation on October 16. Sharing details about the same, her brother revealed how the Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai fame used to often talk about donating eyes post her death. Takkar was found dead at her Indore home on October 15. A suicide note was also recovered from her place which suggested that she was stressed and being harassed by her neighbour. Later, the prime accused in the case – Rahul Navlani was arrested.
“It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me”: is it the chorus of Taylor Swift’s latest single “Anti-Hero”—or is it a confession? To be sure, there’s a lot of confessional content on Midnights. (“No one wanted to play with me as a little kid / So I’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since.” Oof!) But in this case, we refer specifically to the fact that the new album reportedly crashed Spotify upon release. She’s the problem, get it?
As soon as the clock struck midnight for Midnights, fans were apparently streaming so furiously that the app couldn’t handle it. According to Bloomberg, “As many as 7,844 outages were reported by users across the global monitoring service Downdetector at 1:10 a.m. in New York.” Luckily, the issue appears to have been resolved by 3 A.M. ET, at which time the Grammy winner released an additional seven songs as a “chaotic surprise.” Spotify surely wouldn’t have wanted to be on the wrong side of the Swifties when that dropped.
If Swift’s history is anything to go by, the next thing that Midnights will break is records. She’s currently on track to break the U.S. weekly vinyl sales record currently held by her rumored ex-boyfriend Harry Styles (who sold 182,000 copies of Harry’s House in the first week, per Quartz) thanks to a clever “put these four vinyls together and make a clock!” gimmick. That’s pop music’s capitalist queen for you: when someone tells you how Machiavellian they are, believe them!
For now, though, it’s all about the music, which was brought into the world by a crack team that includes longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff, Lana Del Rey, Zoë Kravitz, and All Too Well short film star Dylan O’Brien. While the world debates the merits of the “sexy baby” lyric, Swift is somewhere cackling and rubbing her hands together. (Even if the jokes aren’t funny, she’ll still take the money.) She’s in her Anti-Hero era, after all.
Salma Hayek replaced Thandiwe Newton in the third and final “Magic Mike” film, directed by Steven Soderbergh.
Magic Mike is back to cast a spell on us all.
The third and presumably final “Magic Mike” installment stars Channing Tatum as the titular male stripper, with Steven Soderbergh back directing after sitting out the sequel “Magic Mike XXL.” The film is set to premiere in theaters February 10, 2023, during Super Bowl weekend…but the real athleticism is Tatum and crew’s smooth moves.
Lead star and producer Tatum shared a first look at the film on Instagram with the caption, “All good things begin in Miami.” Tatum as Mike is holding Salma Hayek’s hand over his abs as she, robe-clad, looks down.
Thandiwe Newton was previously cast in the role but stepped away from production due to “family matters,” according to a Warner Bros. representative. Hayek took over in April 2022.
While plot details for “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” have remained under wraps, Tatum previously teased the third film is a “fish-out-of-water story where it’s a reverse-role ‘Pretty Woman’ story that ends up with a lot of dancing in it.”
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Producing partner Reid Carolin previously said that “Magic Mike 3” will be about “a woman stuck at a horrible strip show like a Chippendales and then realizing, ‘What the hell am I doing here?’” only to be rescued by Magic Mike (Tatum). “She gets to go down the rabbit hole and asks: What do I really want?” Carolin added.
Director Soderbergh credited “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” as being inspired by “All That Jazz” and Tatum’s choreography on the “Magic Mike Live” tour. As Tatum himself said, “We’re kind of swinging for the fences — there never needs to be another stripper movie after this one.”
“Magic Mike’s Last Dance” marks Tatum’s farewell to his stripper persona fans first encountered onscreen in 2012. Since then, the franchise spurred a star-studded sequel, “Magic Mike XXL,” and touring act “Magic Mike Live.” Tatum assured audiences that the live show’s famous “water dance” will be given a special ode in “Last Dance.”
“I have a pretty crazy dance that opens the movie,” Tatum explained. “We kick it off on a pretty strong level and then at the end, I might do a version of the water dance in the show. There’s a splash zone in the movie, so it’s a for-real thing.”
“Magic Mike’s Last Dance” premieres in theaters February 10, 2023.
This will be upsetting to learn if you, like me, spent the better part of two decades cutting cords to escape paying for a bunch of sports channels you never watch. But… the bundle is back.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Walmart is partnering with Paramount Plus to include the streaming service as part of Walmart Plus to better rival Amazon Prime. And last week, Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus got hit with price hikes, and their parent company, Disney, showed off two new bundles that felt like a helluva deal. For $14.99, you can get the ad-serving version of Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus. For $19.99, you get Disney Plus and Hulu ad-free. (The ad-serving version of ESPN Plus is also included.) That’s the same price you’d pay for the best tier of Netflix with UHD support and up to four concurrent streams, and it’s way cheaper than any of those services would be on their own.
Some of the biggest companies operating today have figured out what Comcast and Charter have known for years. Bundles are good.
Take the Disney bundle for example. If you actually use all three services, the ad-free bundle maths out to $6.66 per service (evil!). Given ESPN Plus with ads costs $9.99, Disney Plus with no ads costs $10.99, and Hulu with no ads costs $14.99, that’s an extremely good deal. You have to wonder why anyone would even want to get the services à la carte when the bundle is so cheap.
Which is the point of a bundle. They’re meant to entice you with a whole smorgasbord of choices and get you hooked so you can never leave the bundle — even as it goes up in price.
And in a world where everyone has a streaming service, a bundle also helps differentiate one service from another. $19.99 paid to Netflix gets you one service you’ve been steadily paying more for for years, and specifically, it gets you the UHD version. The Disney bundle doesn’t nickel and dime you on streaming quality; it just gives you three services for the price of one.
They’re meant to entice you with a whole smorgasbord of choices and get you hooked
And those services include nearly everything Marvel and Star Wars, the majority of the stuff Disney and Fox have produced, and apparently the highlight reels sports people (and Nilay) love.
Just last week, reports emerged that Walmart was eyeing partnerships with Comcast, Disney, and Paramount to make its Walmart Plus subscription more appealing and better compete with Amazon. Today, there’s a report it’s inked a deal with Paramount Plus. Pay for Walmart Plus and get the streaming service, home to Halo and Star Trek, for free. That’s a reaction not to Disney or Netflix but to Amazon, which currently bundles its Prime streaming service with its expedited shipping perk. Amazon also offered bundles with streaming services including Starz and AMC Plus.
While I appreciate the bundles making some services cheaper — nice little add-ons I would have otherwise skipped — they also give me flashbacks to every negotiation I’ve ever had with an internet service provider to reduce my rates.
They also give me flashbacks to every negotiation I’ve ever had with an internet service provider to reduce my rates
Cable companies are the original bundle lovers. They can force you to spend on sports packages with your cable or phone service with your internet. As with Disney and the rest, the logic is the same: offer a bundle just cheap enough that it makes more financial sense than the services à la carte. Cable companies then try to keep you locked in forever. You have to keep the phone service you never use (which probably provides your ISP with subsidies) because removing it from the internet bundle cranks up the price of your monthly bill. Or, someone in your family gets hooked on the free HBO in your current bundle — forcing you to pay for it when the bundle deal ends.
It’s not shocking that the companies meant to disrupt the cable company are just gladly aping their playbook; it’s just a big bummer. In the early days of cord cutting — when Hulu was still an upstart and hadn’t yet been purchased by the many TV networks it threatened and torrents and Usenet were the easiest and best way to get TV shows online — the dream for cord cutting was simple. People were tired of paying for all the channels bundled into their cable subscriptions. They wanted to choose the channels they wanted and save some money. And many of us were tired of paying for sports channels we never watched.
Once or twice in the last 15 years, we’ve gotten tantalizingly close to achieving that dream. But we’re in a new streaming era now, and the bundle, instead of being the thing we want to escape, may be consumers’ best chance of keeping streaming costs down.
Nonprofit media company Shine Global hosted its first-ever Children’s Resilience in Film Awards on Thursday to celebrate the impact of children’s stories in filmmaking. With a breakfast and ceremony held at Paramount Pictures Studios, the event — of which The Hollywood Reporter was a sponsor — awarded ballet documentary Lift with the inaugural Children’s Resilience in Film Award, which included a $25,000 cash prize from Shine Global.
Directed by David J. Petersen, Lift shines a spotlight on homelessness in America through a group of young home-insecure ballet dancers enrolled in New York Theater Ballet’s Lift program and the mentor who inspires them, renowned ballet dancer Steven Melendez.
The runner-up nominees included Ham Tran’s Maika: The Girl From Another Galaxy, Engeli Broberg’s Gabi: Between Ages 8 and 13 and Jared Jakins’ Scenes From the Glittering World, all of which received a $2,500 cash prize. The winner was selected by a jury panel, including Kay Wilson Stallings, Maria Perez Brown, Amy Kennedy, Jana Sue Memel and THR‘s Scott Feinberg.
Hosted by Gleeactor Mike O’Malley, the awards also recognized three special honorees: Youth Activist Award honoree and Philadelphia Youth Poet Laureate Cydney Brown for her work inspiring children and families to fight for change; Titan Award recipient and Sesame Street alum Sonia Manzano for her contributions to children’s entertainment; and Champion for Children Award recipient Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, for her dedication to advocating for children’s rights.
“While film has the power to change the hearts and minds of countless viewers, film alone cannot make this world a better, safer environment for our children to grow and thrive in,” Shine Global co-founder Susan MacLaury said in a speech. “We firmly believe that children’s voices must be elevated in every arena. In their respective spheres of influence, Congresswoman Roybal-Allard, Sonia Manzano and Cydney Brown have each leveraged their platforms and shown an incredible commitment to putting youth causes and perspectives at the forefront of the conversation.”
Cydney Brown accepts an award onstage from Mike O’Malley.
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
“All children are born resilient,” added Manzano while accepting her award virtually. “We had a Sesame Street producer who used to say, ‘If you look into a crowd of kids and say, anybody who can sing and dance raise your hand, they will all raise their hands.’ It’s our job to keep that hope in them alive, and these films that show us children and families that we might not ordinarily see make us understand that they should not be forgotten.”
Shine Global’s mission is to transform children’s lives through film and to give voice to kids and their families to raise awareness, promote action and inspire change. Previously, Shine Global won an Academy Award for best documentary short subject with 2013’s coming-of-age film Inocente.
“Few films capture the resilient spirit and hope that children possess even as they experience pain and trauma,” MacLaury said. “Even in the face of the most unimaginable tragedies, our youngest generations still find room to cultivate joy, flourish creatively and inspire a level of hope that far too many of us adults are lacking. We believe films that capture this complex balance of resilience and hope, even in the midst of unprecedented struggle, are films that should be elevated and yet rarely are. That’s why we created the Children’s Resilience in Film Award — these children and their uplifting stories deserve to be recognized and shared with new audiences across the globe.”
Shine Global co-founders Susan MacLaury and Albie Hecht
Speaking with USA Today, Starr and the reissue’s producer, Giles Martin, described how “Yellow Submarine” came together. “The boys used to write a song for me and they’d present whatever they thought would be good for me,” Starr said. “They had this song and they decided to liven it up.”
Added Martin, “I had no idea [the work tape] existed…. It wouldn’t have been as commercial in that original form, and you can hear them working together and pushing each other in different directions.”
The expanded edition of Revolver arrives October 28. Physical and deluxe editions feature newly mixed songs sourced from the album’s original 1966 mono master tapes, early studio takes and demos, a 100-page hardbound book, and more.
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Mark Lewis, who wrote and directed one of the most talked about (and disturbing) true-crime docseries in recent memory, is back on Netflix with a new series, “Vatican Girl: The Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi.”
Like “Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer,” “Vatican Girl” was produced by British TV production company Raw. The four-part docseries will premiere globally on Netflix on Oct. 20.
“Vatican Girl” is the latest probe into a case that started on June 22, 1983, when Emanuela Orlandi, a 15-year-old girl living in Vatican City, disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The case made headlines around the world. Various theories have linked the girl’s presumed abduction to intrigue involving secret services of various countries, the Italian mob, and the Vatican, which has denied accusations of a coverup.
“Vatican Girl” features interviews with Orlandi’s family and witnesses to her disappearance.
Variety spoke with Lewis, who won a Primetime Emmy for “Don’t F** With Cats,” about why he wanted to explore the story he considers less traumatic than his last one, and how the docuseries could lead to the cold case being solved.
How did this project come together?
Producer Chiara Messineo, who is Italian, had been looking at this story for a couple of years and had critically negotiated access to the Orlandi family. She came through the doors of Raw, the company where I work, and it was a real meeting of minds, because both of us could see that this was a story that wasn’t just an Italian story but also an international story. So, while we wanted the series to appeal to an Italian audience, we also wanted to appeal to reach an international audience. That really informed how we made the film.
How so?
We very consciously made the series in two languages. We have Italians speaking in Italian, we have Italians speaking in English, and we have Italians speaking in English and Italian. The whole idea behind that was to try and make this series as accessible to an international audience as an Italian one.
What drew you to the story of Emanuela Orlandi?
It’s a story that Dan Brown could have written. It starts with a small local story of a young girl going missing on a hot summer afternoon in the middle of Rome in 1983, and then the story spirals into one involving the KGB and Cold War politics. We discover factions working within the Vatican to push particular policies and to restore Catholicism to the Eastern Bloc. Then there is the Mafia and the Roman underworld side of the story. So, it instinctively felt like a political thriller, and that really appealed to me.
Did you feel pressure to make the next “Don’t F**ck With Cats”?
“Don’t F**k With Cats” did really well, but it was also a difficult story to have worked on. You couldn’t help but feel a little bit traumatized by working on a story about animal abuse and then the horrific murder of Jun Lin. So I didn’t want to do something after that project that also felt so traumatizing. While the Orlandi case is a very hard and sad story, “Vatican Girl” is a geopolitical story. It’s a story that really tells you an incredible amount about Italy and the extraordinary coexistence of extreme forces – politics, business, and organized crime. It was a fascinating landscape for a series.
What do you think audiences will find most intriguing about “Vatican Girl”?
I hope that an audience will respond on an emotional level to the Orlandi family. The other thing I’m hoping audiences get from the series is a better understanding of the Vatican. While it is the smallest country in the world, it’s so much more than that. It’s a kind of absolute monarchy.
Ultimately though, I hope audiences respond in a way that gives this case momentum and gets the conversation about this case going again.
Do you think the series will help solve the case of Emanuela Orlandi?
The way I see it is we have got a table, and over the years, we’ve been laying down big pieces of a jigsaw puzzle on that table. Slowly but surely, that puzzle is getting filled in. But there’s a few key pieces of the puzzle still missing. I hope, for the family’s sake, those last few pieces are found.
Two Russian soldiers have been spotted looting a washing machine from a house in Ukraine, before loading it into a military vehicle with a large white ‘Z’ painted on it.
The aerial footage, which was filmed by a Ukrainian drone, shows a pair of Vladimir Putin‘s soldiers awkwardly carrying the appliance out of the house and across a debris-covered front lawn, before pausing when they reach the gate to the property.
After a brief stop to catch their breath, they can then be seen taking the washing machine through a gate before changing sides, and carrying it down a dirt road leading back to their military vehicle.
Pictured: Two Russian soldiers have been spotted in aerial footage looting a washing machine from a house in Ukraine, before loading it into a military vehicle with a large white ‘Z’
Despite being mostly hidden under a tree, the large white ‘Z’ is still clear in the footage, showing that the vehicle belongs to Moscow’s forces.
The ‘Z’ is one of the symbols, as well as the letters ‘V’ and ‘O’ that can be seen painted on many Russian military vehicles taking part in the invasion of Ukraine.
With it not being in the Russian alphabet, it has also become a pro-war symbol in the country, and used in propaganda by the Kremlin.
The two soldiers can then be seen loading the washing machine into the vehicle, before returning to the house – again going back through the gate and across the lawn as the footage ends.
One side of the large house they are apparently looting has been severely damaged, likely by an explosion caused by Russian artillery.
The garden down the side of the house is covered in debris, while one of the windows and some of the roof have been blown away.
After a brief pause to catch their breath, the two soldiers can be seen taking the washing machine through the gate, and carrying it down a dirt road leading back to their vehicle
Pictured: The two soldiers can be seen loading the washing machine into the military vehicle, before returning to the house – again going back through the gate and across the lawn
The images were obtained from the Office of Strategic Communications (StratCom) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Friday, October 21.
It was posted to social media channels along with a statement saying: ‘The second army of the world – the first army of looters conducted a special operation to free a washing machine from its owners. Every criminal will inevitably be punished.’
The images and statement were also relayed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The footage was also shared on Reddit where netizens joked that the Russian soldiers had obviously never seen a washing machine before.
Several reports out of Ukraine have told of Russian soldiers looting houses.
Pavel Filatiev, a Russian paratrooper who defected from his home country and wrote a memoir of his time fighting in Ukraine, revealed how his company were so desperate for food, they looted a local supermarket.
In May 2022, the Moscow Times reported that at least 58 tonnes of looted goods from Ukraine had been sent back to Russia by a group of soldiers.
The star of “Jennifer’s Body,” with boys Noah, 10, Bodhi, 8, and Journey, 6, with her ex-husband Brian Austin Green, responded angrily to a critic on Instagram who questioned her parenting abilities.
Wait, wait, wait. I…have children?!? Fox, who is 36 years old, penned the letter in response to a troll who had remarked on her most recent photo dump of seductive selfies.
Oh my god, I knew there was something else I missed!! As she proceeded, she yelled for someone to phone the valet at the Beverly Hills hotel immediately. My last memory of them is from when we were at that location. It’s possible that anyone brought them to the lost and found.
The actress, who only rarely makes public images of her children, recently released a series of photos of herself posing provocatively on a swing at the house that she and her fiance, Machine Gun Kelly, share.
The fact that her boyfriend, the musician from Bloody Valentine, went into the comments area and said, “you’ve ruined our swing,” demonstrates that he found the steamy photographs acceptable.
Fox, who announced her engagement to MGK, 32, in January, formalized her separation from Green, 49, in February after the couple had announced their split in early 2020.
Meanwhile, the former 90210 star is now engaged to Sharna Burgess, a professional dancer who appeared on the show years ago. In June, the couple announced the birth of their first child together, a son named Zane.
In a July interview with Us Weekly, Burgess, who is 37 years old, revealed that Fox had lately spent some quality time with the lovely child.
The dancer mentioned that she came to see Zane and had some cuddle time with him, which was lovely and plentiful. She gushed about how cute he was and how laid-back he was as a baby, which is an accurate description.
Snap Inc. reported $1.13 billion in revenue in the third quarter of 2022 amid a period of tumult in which it pulled its forward-looking guidance, laid off some 20 percent of its employees and completely restructured its operations.
Revenue was up 6 percent from a year prior, but essentially flat with Q2. Snap reported a net loss of $360 million, owing in part to extensive restructuring charges.
Daily active Snapchat users rose to 363 million in the quarter, up from 347 million the quarter prior, and up 19 percent year-over-year.
In August, the company announced a complete restructuring, with CEO Evan Spiegel saying that the company was planning to “increase focus on our three strategic priorities: community growth, revenue growth and augmented reality.”
Focusing on those core areas would help return the company to growth mode, Spiegel argued.
As part of that restructuring, Snap laid of about 20 percent of its employee base and scrapped multiple business lines, including its Snap Originals programming. Snap reported restructuring charges of $155 million in the quarter.
“This quarter we took action to further focus our business on our three strategic priorities: growing our community and deepening their engagement with our products, reaccelerating and diversifying our revenue growth, and investing in augmented reality,” said Spiegel in a statement Thursday. “The growth of our community to 363 million daily active users, an increase of 19% year-over-year, continues to expand our long-term opportunity as we navigate this volatile macroeconomic environment.”
Snap has served as something of a canary in the coal mine for tech companies this year, after warning in May that the macroeconomic environment was worsening.
It continued to ring the alarm bells in Q3, citing “significant headwinds” to its business. And its role as social media’s canary may also be tested as it warned of slowing engagement in the U.S., its most mature market.
“Total time spent watching content in the United States decreased 5% year-over-year as the diminished depth of engagement with Friend Stories was not fully offset by the growth in viewership and growth in time spent with Discover and Spotlight in the U.S.,” the letter said.
The company also warned that sales growth continued to slow, and it was not expecting any growth in the current quarter.
“We are finding that our advertising partners across many industries are decreasing their marketing budgets, especially in the face of operating environment headwinds, inflation-driven cost pressures and rising costs of capital,” the letter continued. In some industries where topline growth remains strong, but businesses are experiencing input cost pressure due to inflation, we have observed reduced campaign budgets as businesses seek to offset input cost pressures.”
The letter continued that the company is focusing its investments on the Spotlight creator platform and on direct-response advertising, which it believes are poised to grow even amid the larger economic uncertainty.
Indeed, speaking on the company’s quarterly earnings call, Spiegel said that Spotlight will be a focal point for the company in coming months.
“Viewership is up, that means our overall opportunity is expanding if we can increase people’s depth of engagement,” Spiegel said, adding that while users are watching stories from close friends, after that it is seeing diminishing returns. “At some point, content on Spotlight or Discovery is maybe more engaging.”
So the company will seek to shift users to those products, while building out a Spotlight ad business, as well as advertising in augmented reality environments.
Jerry Hunter, Snap’s newly minted COO, said that reorganizing the company’s advertising business is his top priority, but the company will also look to grow its Snapchat+ subscription offering to “diversify topline growth.”
A YouTube Premium family plan now costs $22.99 per month following a price hike, as reported by 9to5Google. The family tier offers benefits like ad-free viewing and background playback for you and up to five other people, and it now costs $5 more per month.
The price change is already in effect for new subscribers, meaning you can’t sign up at the previous $17.99 price any longer. For current subscribers, “this change will take place on your next billing cycle starting on or after November 21, 2022,” YouTube said in an email shared by 9to5Google. However, if you were grandfathered in at a lower price as a former Google Play Music subscriber, you’ll pay that lower rate until your April billing date, according to an email sent to a Verge staffer. Prices will be “adjusted” in the US, Canada, Great Britain, Japan, Indonesia, Brazil, Turkey, and Argentina, YouTube spokesperson Marni Greenberg said in an email to The Verge.
“We don’t make these decisions lightly, and we realize how hard this may be for our members,” YouTube spokesperson Marni Greenberg said in a statement. “This new price reflects the complete value of YouTube Premium and will allow us to develop even more Premium features and continue to support the creators and artists our members watch and listen to on YouTube.”
The cost of an individual YouTube Premium plan remains unchanged at $11.99 per month. YouTube doesn’t have anything to share today about changes to other plans, Greenberg said, but noted that the company will notify users by email at least 30 days in advance before changing the price.
Update October 20th, 5:58PM ET: Added comment from YouTube.
Time and again, the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, has displayed strong willpower and courage to voice her opinions. Regardless of what came to her path, she always figured a way through it. To shed light on some more of her iron will stories, the 41-year-old joined Variety, where she opened up a lot about her life.
Meghan’s latest interview with the magazine reflected on her current life. She spoke about the aftermath of the sad demise of the Queen, her joint production with Harry, and her podcasts. However, she also gave her honest opinions on matters that involved notoriously controversial movements. In fact, the way she expressed it struck a chord with many. So what did she say?
Meghan Markle sheds light on the industrial toxicity that prevailed in her time
The interviewer asked the former American actress about the degree of toxicity that dwelled in the industry back when she was a part of it. Meghan was also asked about her stance on mass movements and protests like #MeToo and #OscarsSoWhite? Speaking frankly enough, she affirmed “We did not have a name for it(industrial toxicity) at that time.”
Markle further went on to explain that, back in the day, people considered just certain things to be acceptable. There was by no means one could thrive in the gray place. Hence, they either lived in the light or the dark. And according to her, the latter was the place where many women belonged. When things went off the track, “you just dealt with it” remarked Markle. “It forced a lot of women to live with this idea of staying silent,” she added further.
The amount of focus and reactions that were imposed on women was by far an unnecessary act, while there were bigger concerns at hand. Rather, she stated that the voices that were subdued could have helped fix some social evils and norms that prevailed at that time.
The Duchess went on to answer a lot of other questions with her answers, as straight as an arrow. So, what do you think about Meghan’s take on the matter? Were you a part of campaigns like #MeToo as well? Let us know in the comments below.
Daniel Radcliffe likes making films for the weirdos, as he fondly puts it, and his latest effort as the titular character in “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” is one that will see the actor masterfully disappear behind a bizarre Hawaiian shirt-clad accordion player.
For Radcliffe, this role is unlike anything he’s ever done before and he felt “more nervous, even though you’ll see I’m not playing Al per se. It’s quite nerve-wracking. I’m excited for people to see it.”
The actor sat down for an exclusive interview at a downtown hotel during the Toronto International Film Festival.
“The tone of the film is one of the more particularly strange ones I’ve done. It’s a biopic, but not really because very quickly it turns into something much more insane than that. I’ve played a lot of real people before, both living and dead, but this is the first time I’ve ever played someone that I’m kind of a fan of coming into it.”
After a two-year hiatus, the Toronto International Film Festival kicked off their Midnight Madness program with the premiere of “Weird: The Al Yankvoic Story”. English actor Daniel Radcliffe says being a fan of “Weird Al” made the experience of playing him both “incredibly exciting but also very, very nerve racking.” (SEPT. 9 / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” follows the rebellious cult singer and his meteoric rise from a humble accordion player to a rich and famous musician who replaces the lyrics of popular songs with hilarious new ones.
The film, which premiered at TIFF and won the People’s Choice Award in the Midnight Madness category, is over the top, self-aware and makes fun of itself — the biopic is simply a parody of the artist, which is quite meta. Almost nothing in the film actually happened, save for the parody songs. That’s exactly what makes this film edgy and entertaining.
It’s certainly a role you’ve never seen Radcliffe in before. He taps into his comedic side with earnestness, proving he’s always had stellar comic timing — and the big, curly Yankovic wig and the loud shirts simply add to his performance.
After his “Harry Potter” days, the London-born actor started to branch out into unconventional roles that are, for a lack of a better word, weird. He played a farting corpse in the incredibly entertaining “Swiss Army Man”; a man who mysteriously grows horns after his girlfriend’s death in “Horns” and a nerdy video game developer who wakes up to find guns bolted to his hands in “Guns Akimbo.”
The 33-year-old doesn’t mind that he has a reputation for channelling offbeat characters. In fact, it’s perhaps his attachment to such films that landed him a role as Weird Al.
“I think me and Al are both quite sincere, earnest people and what you see is what you get. We both really have an appreciation for weird and the fact that we get to do these jobs and the fact that somebody’s paying us both to do the things that we love, I think, gives us a real appreciation for how incredibly lucky we are to be doing that.”
It’s their eccentricities that connect Yankovic and Radcliffe, the actor said. “There’s a streak of something weird and feral running through, which I like to hopefully think is the overlap.
“I do think that what Al and I both have in common is that we’ve both had fairly big, creative platforms, and are able to kind of sneak some quite weird stuff through,” he said.
According to the actor, “the weirdest scene is the drug trip sequence where I burst out of a giant glowing egg naked, except for this electric guitar while covered in slime. That was one of the weirdest things I’ve ever done, but that was great. Getting to work with Evan (Rachel Wood) and getting to do all the crazy love scenes as we document Al’s relationship with Madonna … that was really fun and crazy.”
“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” is directed by Eric Appel from a script he co-wrote with Yankovic. Having Yankovic on set was both reassuring as well as nerve-wracking for Radcliffe.
“When you see the film, you’ll see how far the version of Al in the film is from real Al … so that gives you a lot of freedom too; I didn’t have to do a perfect impersonation of him all the time.”
The actor insisted on learning the accordion, which is a difficult instrument to play. “It was so nerve-wracking having him (on set) mostly for the musical things because those are the things that you really want to get right.”
As uncanny as the roles may be, the actor is far from it. Despite his massive success, he seems down to earth and extremely polite. So how do roles that are out of character satisfy him in his creative endeavours?
“‘Harry Potter’ was obviously amazing training for how film sets work and how to be around the camera and all that stuff. Doing ‘Miracle Workers’ and learning about comedy with some of the actors that I’ve been able to work with and also moving at the pace (of) ‘Swiss Army Man’ or ‘Kill Your Darlings’ … this film was all of those things,” he said.
“There’s outside your comfort zone and then there are things you’re wrong for. As an actor, you’ve kind of got to be able to differentiate; when am I saying no to something because I don’t think I’m right for it and when am I saying no to something out of fear? I think that’s a good thing that you have to keep an eye out for.”
“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” premiered at TIFF and will debut Nov. 4 on the Roku Channel.
Marriska Fernandes is a Toronto-based entertainment reporter and film critic. She is a freelance contributor for the Star’s Culture section. Follow her on Twitter: @marrs_fers
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Even Jennifer Aniston sometimes forgets the first rule of fake tanning. On October 7, the Friends actor shared photos and videos taken while filming the third season of The Morning Show, including a very relatable behind-the-scene spray tan debacle.
“Note to self: hands and feet, you must lotion before a spray tan, otherwise…you end up with a situation,” Aniston tells the camera in slide four as a very supportive team member scrubs her orange-tinted foot in the sink. “This is what love is.” (Alexa, play “I’ll Be There for You.”)
Obviously, Aniston is not the first to come out of a spray-tan session with discolored hands and feet. “Been there [with] the spray tan lolll,” one user commented, while another replied, “orange you glad you know now?”
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Despite the mishap, we couldn’t help but notice that her hair was still looking flawless…and we’re not the only ones. “that hair in the spray tan video ? @lolavie workin hard for the money honey ??,” hair colorist @justinanderson replied in the comments.
LolaVie, of course, is Jennifer Aniston’s own hair care line, which launched in 2021. This September, Aniston spoke to Glamour about her latest product launch, as well as her advice on embracing the aging process. “Two things are inevitable. The first, aging. The second, there’s always going to be critics,” Aniston said. “For me, it’s more of the question of how do I take the best care of myself, physically and mentally? We can still thrive when we’re older, and that’s thanks to all the advancements in health, nutrition, technology, and science.”
She continued, “If you want to go gray, go for it! If you want to keep coloring your hair, that’s great too. I think everyone should feel confident in whatever choices they make, including embracing natural color or texture. Hair is a creative way to express yourself, and I love that your mood and energy can change with the change of a hairstyle, cut or color. Embrace whatever is going to make you happy.”
Spoiler alert!This story discusses Grey’s Anatomy’s Season 19 episode “Let’s Talk About Sex.”
Kate Walsh made a triumphant return to Grey’s Anatomy in the October 20 episode, “Let’s Talk About Sex,” and boy did they! In response to the Supreme Court’s real-world decision on Roe v. Wade, the fictional Seattle doctors were fired up to provide information on how to prevent unwanted pregnancies. What better storyline to welcome world-renowned OB/GYN Addison Montgomery to Season 19? However, Derek Shepherd’s ex-wife posed quite a threat to the secret Lucas Adams was trying to keep from his fellow interns, and Simone Griffith’s own family history found its way into her workplace, forming a bond between the two interns that left me wanting more!
Lucas put himself in an awkward situation in the previous episode, when he allowed Grey Sloan’s other new residents to believe he was sleeping with Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) rather than reveal that she is his aunt. Addison’s presence in Grey Sloan Memorial complicated that lie further, when she recognized McDreamy’s favorite nephew, and Lucas (Niko Terho) was forced to awkwardly cut her off when she started to call him “Shep…” The damage was done, though, because Simone (Alexis Floyd) got suspicious and was able to find out that he’s basically related to half of the hospital.
Meanwhile, Simone’s grandmother, who has some form of dementia, wondered into the hospital looking for her daughter — Simone’s mother, who died during childbirth. It was Lucas’ turn to connect some dots, thus learning about Simone’s tragic connection to the hospital and the struggles she faced outside of its walls.
While it’s understandable that she doesn’t want her colleagues to pity her, Simone’s secret doesn’t seem to be quite on par with Lucas’, as he’s now not only threatened with accusations of nepotism but also people thinking he’s sleeping with his aunt. But it was important enough to her that he not share what he knew, and I am definitely on board with the connection formed over their shared secrets.
Lucas was adorably sweet to Simone’s grandmother, and he definitely gave Simone a pretty charming smile when the two were chilling on the gurneys, racing to tie knots in their scrub pants (as interns do?). Is there a romantic future between the two, or will this be a Meredith Grey/Alex Karev kind of friendship? I’m looking forward to finding out, and also definitely looking forward to seeing more between Lucas and Addison.
In other Grey’s Anatomy news, Bailey (Chandra Wilson) chose to return to the hospital, not as chief, but to reopen the clinic for reproductive health services and help as an attending. E.R. Fightmaster also made a surprise return as Kai, and it was clear that their romance with Amelia is still definitely a thing.
And speaking of comebacks, we only have a couple of weeks before Jesse Williams returns to Grey’s Anatomy to direct an episode and appear as Jackson Avery. Greg Germann will also make an appearance in November as Tom Koracick after he was last seen in Season 18. (Are there any former characters who aren’t coming back this season?)
Grey’s Anatomy will continue at 9 p.m. ET Thursday, October 27, on ABC. Check out our 2022 TV schedule to see what new and returning shows are coming soon.
EXCLUSIVE: The Cinema Eye Honors announced its first round of nominations today for artistic achievement in documentary film and series, with HBO’s Four Hours at the Capitol earning the most of any contender [full list below].
The documentary by Jamie Roberts about the January 6 insurrection scored nominations for Broadcast Film, Broadcast Editing and Broadcast Cinematography. Peter Jackson’s Disney+ series The Beatles: Get Back, landed two nominations — for Broadcast Series and Broadcast Editing. Get Back swept five Primetime Emmy categories last month.
‘Downfall: The Case Against Boeing’
Netflix
Rory Kennedy’s Downfall: The Case Against Boeing, snubbed by the Emmys, earned a Cinema Eye Honors nomination for Broadcast Film. It will go up against Four Hours at the Capitol, and Emmy winner George Carlin’s American Dream, the two-part HBO film directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, among other contenders.
HBO Documentary Films
Nanfu Wang’s HBO docuseries Mind Over Murder, which premiered after the cut-off date for this year’s Emmys, earned a nomination today for Broadcast Series.
This is the 16th edition of the Cinema Eye Honors, founded to recognize not only the best nonfiction films and series of the year, but constituent disciplines including producing, directing, cinematography, editing, musical score, sound design and graphic design/animation.
“It was the first and remains the only international nonfiction award to recognize the whole creative team,” the Cinema Eye Honors notes. The awards ceremony will take place Thursday, January 12, 2023 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, New York.
Today’s nominations will be followed by an additional two nomination announcements leading up to the awards show. Next Tuesday, the Cinema Eye Honors will reveal its list of The Unforgettables – “the year’s notable [documentary] subjects” – as well as the Audience Choice Prize Long List. On Thursday, November 20, the awards organization comes out with its full list of nominations, including Outstanding Nonfiction Feature and Outstanding Direction, a major predictor of the documentaries that will go on to earn Oscar nominations.
The announcement of the initial nominations took place today at the annual Cinema Eye Fall Lunch in downtown Los Angeles. Among the highlights — news that the 2023 Legacy Award will go to Terry Zwigoff’s Crumb, in recognition of “the filmmaker’s acclaimed 1995 portrait of underground cartoonist R. Crumb.”
Director Terry Zwigoff attends Ebert Fest on April 22, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois.
Photo by Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images for Ebert Fest
In a mordant statement, Zwigoff responded to word of the honor. “I’m glad to find out you don’t have to be dead to receive this award,” he commented. “I guess they figured I’m finally close enough. I’m so old my film career started decades before this Cinema Eye Award existed, so now they have to give me the Honorary version, the ‘Legacy Award.’ This is sort of like the Lifetime Achievement Award or the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award they hand out each year at the Oscars, except I haven’t achieved much in my lifetime, and I generally prefer the company of animals to humans. In any case, it’s a nice honor and I’m in great company judging from the list of prior recipients.”
Another highlight was the announcement of the 10 short documentaries to make Cinema Eye’s shortlist. That list will be whittled to a maximum of six final nominees next month.
Below is the full list of nominations announced today:
Broadcast Film Nominees
Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes
Directed by James Jones | HBO Documentary Films/HBO Max
Downfall: The Case Against Boeing
Directed by Rory Kennedy | Netflix
Four Hours at the Capitol
Directed by Jamie Roberts | HBO Documentary Films/HBO Max
George Carlin’s American Dream
Directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio | HBO Documentary Films/HBO Max
Playing With Sharks
Directed by Sally Aitken | Disney+
Nonfiction Series Nominees
The Beatles: Get Back
Directed by Peter Jackson | Disney+
Black and Missing
Directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Samantha Knowles | HBO Documentary Films/HBO Max
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey
Directed by Rachel Dretzin | Netflix
LuLaRich
Directed by Julia Willoughby Nason and Jenner Furst | Amazon Studios
Mind Over Murder
Directed by Nanfu Wang | HBO Documentary Films/HBO Max
We Need to Talk About Cosby
Directed by W. Kamau Bell | Showtime
Anthology Series Nominees
How To with John Wilson
Nathan Fielder, Michael Koman, Clark Reinking and John Wilson, Executive Producers | HBO
Origins of Hip Hop
Peter Bittenbender, Mark Grande, Slane Hatch; Supervising Producers: Amira Lewally and Phoenix Skye Maulella, Executive Producers | A&E
Prehistoric Planet
Jon Favreau and Michael Gunton, Executive Producers; Tim Walker, Series Producer | Apple TV+
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy
Tom Barry, Adam Hawkins, Eve Kay and Stanley Tucci, Executive Producers; Robin O’Sullivan, Series Producer | CNN
Women Who Rock
Jessica Hopper, Rachel Brill, John Varvatos, Derik Murray and Jesse James Miller, Executive Producers | EPIX
The World According to Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum, Jane Root, Sara Brailsford, Keith Addis and Arif Nurmohamed, Executive Producers, Ben Jessop, Series Producer | Disney+
Broadcast Editing Nominees
37 Words
Jessica Congdon and Dave Marcus | ESPN
The Beatles: Get Back
Jabeez Olssen | Disney+
Four Hours at the Capitol
Will Grayburn | HBO Documentary Films/HBO Max
How to Survive a Pandemic
Adam Evans and Tyler H. Walk | HBO Documentary Films/HBO Max
How To with John Wilson
Adam Locke-Norton | HBO
We Need to Talk About Cosby
Meg Ramsay | Showtime
Broadcast Cinematography Nominees
Four Hours at the Capitol
Jamie Roberts | HBO Documentary Films/HBO Max
jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy
Coodie Simmons and Danny “DNA” Sorge | Netflix
Playing With Sharks
Michael Taylor, Judd Overton, Nathan Barlow and Toby Ralph | Disney+
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy
Andrew Muggleton | CNN
Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Come Off
Sam Jones and Jesse Green | HBO Documentary Films/HBO Max
Shorts List (Cinema Eye’s Annual List of the Year’s Top Short Documentaries)
Anastasia Directed by Sarah McCarthy
The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone Directed by Maya Newell
In Flow of Words Directed by Eliane Esther Bots
The Joys and Sorrows of Young Yuguo Directed by Ilinca Călugăreanu
Keys to the City Directed by Ian Moubayed
Last Days of August Directed by Robert Machoian and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck
Long Line of Ladies Directed by Rayka Zehtabchi and Shaandiin Tome
The Martha Mitchell Effect Directed by Anne Alvergue and Debra McClutchy
Nuisance Bear Directed by Jack Weisman and Gabriela Osio Vanden
Shut Up and Paint Directed by Alex Mallis and Titus Kaphar
Legacy Award
Crumb
Directed by Terry Zwigoff; Produced by Lynn O’Donnell and Terry Zwigoff; Edited by Victor Livingston; Cinematography by Maryse Alberti; Music by David Beddinghaus; Sound by Scott Breindell
“Hold Your Fire,” premiering at the DOC NYC festival, looks at the longest hostage siege in NYPD history in 1973. Filmmaker Stefan Forbes teams with producer Fab Five Freddy to cover multiple perspectives, and mysteries that linger decades later.
The documentary “Hold Your Fire” reexamines a 1973 hostage siege in New York City.
(Courtesy of “Hold Your Fire” film.)
The recent weather conditions in southern Alberta may have felt like an extended summer for some residents, but experts say there are some downsides to the unusually warm conditions.
According to Sara Hoffman, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, Alberta has seen a “significant warm spell” this fall.
“The first two weeks of October have been significantly above normal in terms of temperatures,” Hoffman said.
“In Alberta alone, we’ve set over 107 daily maximum temperature records (from) Oct. 1 to 19.”
Snow and rain this weekend: October 20 Saskatchewan weather outlook
According to government of Canada online weather records, the maximum temperature in Lethbridge on Oct. 18, 2022 was 26 C. In 2021, the high for the same day was 12 C, with a high of -6 C in 2020.
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Lethbridge saw just 18 millimetres of precipitation this September, while Hoffman said the normal is 41 millimetres.
This makes it the 34th driest September on record in the last 121 years.
The dry conditions were likely beneficial during harvest, but Hoffman explained this lack of moisture could affect farmers come spring.
“We just have a little bit less of that available moisture after winter in the spring that sometimes gets reset a bit in the fall with some fall rains.”
Alberta’s extended summer weather affecting wildlife migratory and fall behaviour
However, there is still time to regain some of that moisture.
Parts of Alberta are expected to dip in temperature and see either rain or snow this weekend.
Albertans may have also noticed lingering smoke in the air, affecting air quality as wildfires continue to burn.
“September also was hot and fairly dry in the province. The start of October has had a much more significant departure from normal,” Hoffman continued.
“This has had an impact on worsening and extending the wildfire season in many parts of Western Canada.”
The dryness may also be contributing to what Hoffman called feeling “sneezey and wheezy.”
Tom Brady certainly has a lot on his plate at the moment and an NFL peer believes the legendary quarterback could always cut his 23rd season short if he needs to by retiring… again. Not only has Tom led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a dismal start with a 3-3 record as of mid-October, but he’s also dealing with a rumored split after 13 years of marriage to supermodel Gisele Bündchen. The conditions are ripe for a possible midseason departure, according to former Bucs’ quarterback and sports analyst Chris Simms.
“Normally I’d feel like it’s [Aaron] Rodgers that would be that guy,” Chris said on the Oct. 18 episode of NBC’s Pro Football Talk Live when asked if he thinks veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers or Tom would possibly exit midseason. “But because of this year and some of the off-the-field stuff that’s hitting home and personal stuff with Brady, this is the one year I feel maybe it might be Brady.”
“I think Rodgers is usually the guy to be more renegade and be like ‘screw this, I’m out of here,’” Chris continued. “But this is a weird year where we’re seeing Brady do weird crap and having personal issues.”
The weird year included Tom missing 11 days of Tampa Bay’s training camp in the summer due to “personal reasons.” The brief leave of absence fueled more speculation of trouble in his relationship with Gisele, who skipped out on attending the first game of the season, although the couple’s two children, Ben, 12, and Violet, 9, however, were there to cheer Tom on.
Tom Brady’s rumored split with Gisele could play into a possible midseason retirement, per Chris Simms. (Invision/AP/Shutterstock)
While Tom has not addressed his absence in the pre-season, he did make note of his personal life on his Let’s Go! SiriusXM show on Monday, October 10. “There’s things I’m going through in my 40s and it’s life,” he said. “And you learn to grow up and you learn to deal with life. And that’s what we’re all trying to do. We’re trying to do it the best way we can.”
Adding to the rumor mill, Gisele recently said she had “concerns” about Tom returning to play in the NFL after he had briefly retired in the Spring. “This is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present,” she told Elle magazine. “I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again. But ultimately, I feel that everybody has to make a decision that works for [them]. He needs to follow his joy, too.”
Gisele’s interview comes after a source EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodLife that Gisele is adjusting the best she can to Tom’s ‘unretirement,’ but it hasn’t been ‘easy’ for her. “Gisele did her best to adjust to Tom‘s decision to go back [to the NFL] but it hasn’t been easy for her because that wasn’t their agreement,” the insider explained. “She’s a very supportive wife, but she’s also speaks her truth so there’s been a lot of tension since he went back. She needed to take some time to herself and Tom is respecting that.”
In March, Tom signed back up with the Buccaneers following a brief “retirement” from the sport. The 7-time Super Bowl champ took to Twitter to reveal what led to his change of heart. “These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG.”
When it comes to cybersecurity in the workplace, younger employees don’t really seem to care that much, which is putting their organizations in serious harm’s way, new research has claimed.
Surveying approximately 1,000 workers using devices issued by their employers, professional services firm EY found Gen Z enterprise employees were more apathetic about cybersecurity than their Boomer counterparts in adhering to their employer’s safety policies.
This is despite the fact that four in five (83%) of all those surveyed claimed to understand their employer’s security protocol.
Recycling passwords
When it comes to implementing mandatory IT updates, for example, 58% of Gen Z’ers and 42% of millennials would disregard them for as long as possible. Less than a third (31%) of Gen X’ers, and just 15% of baby boomers said they do the same.
Apathy in the young extends to password (opens in new tab) reuse between private and business accounts. A third of Gen Z and millennial workers surveyed admitted to this, compared to less than a quarter of all Gen X’ers and baby boomers.
Almost half of Gen Z and millennials were “likely to accept web browser cookies on their work-issued devices all the time or often,” compared to 31% of Gen X workers, and 18% of baby boomers.
“There is an immediate need for organizations to restructure their security strategy with human behavior at the core,” said EY America’s Consulting Cybersecurity Leader Tapan Shah.
Some say the apathy of young people towards technology is down to their over-familiarity with technology, and never having been without it.
Being too comfortable with tech undoubtedly makes an enterprise’s younger employees a major target for cybercriminals looking to exploit any hole in security.
If an organization’s cybersecurity practices aren’t upheld strongly, threat actors can compromise huge networks with simple social engineering attacks.
As demonstrated by recent attacks on Uber and Rockstar Games (opens in new tab), a good social engineer doesn’t have to be technically minded to leak sensitive company and customer data, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars of damages in mitigations and fines.
Paul Haggis’ accuser took the stand Thursday and told a civil Manhattan jury that the “agitated” filmmaker pressured her to come to his apartment, where he immediately pinned her against a refrigerator and “slobbered” as he dove for an open kiss shortly after meeting at a 2013 movie premiere.
The woman, former freelance publicist Haleigh Breest, first accused Haggis of sexual assault in a civil lawsuit in 2017. Three other women have come forward with similar claims in support of the lawsuit, but because of New York state court delays and COVID-19, the the Oscar-winning “Crash” director hadn’t faced live witness testimony before Breest appeared in court Thursday.
Breest’s lawyer Zoe Salman told the jury during opening statements that Breest has only attempted to have sex once – unsuccessfully – because the encounter left her with “flashbacks” and severe post-traumatic stress, according to the New York Post.
Breest, who is seeking unspecified damages, said Haggis became “agitated” when she suggested they go to a bar instead of his Manhattan apartment.
“I didn’t want to go to his apartment,” Breest said. “He got agitated. ‘Come over for a drink. I just got off a flight and I’m really tired,’” she said. “I felt pressured to say … yes, but I’m not sleeping in Soho tonight. I wanted to make it clear that I had no romantic interest in him. … He was older than my dad.”
Haggis, now 69, has denied all the allegations, and claims the encounter was consensual. He has also indicated he will argue that the Church of Scientology, of which he is a former member, is out to get him and helped cook up the charges.
Breest said as soon as she put her bags down in his kitchen/living area, “he walked toward me with an open mouth trying to kiss me.” She added that he “slobbered” as he pinned her body against his refrigerator.
“I was totally startled,” she said. “Our lips made contact and I said, ‘How about that wine?’ … I wanted to remind him I was there for a drink and to let him know without offending him,” Breest said. “He was a friend of my boss and I didn’t want to make an enemy.”
GOOP founder Gwyneth Paltrow‘s little mini me child is getting an education. The 50-year-old Oscar winning actress shared on Wednesday that 18-year-old Apple Martin left for college in September.
‘My daughter went to college in the fall,’ began the blonde beauty who had the teen with Coldplay rocker Chris Martin; the two finalized their divorce in 2016.
Gone! Gwyneth Paltrow ‘s little mini me is getting an education. The Oscar winning star shared on Wednesday that 18-year-old Apple left for college in September
She also said that it was hard on her emotionally to say farewell to little Apple.
‘It was horrible. It was truly horrifying,’ she said. ‘I was sick to my stomach, bursting into tears.”
She is ‘getting more and more used to’ it and is relieved she is ‘happy.’
The lifestyle expert also said that she went on a parents weekend visit and Apple came home for October break last weekend. ‘That was amazing,’ she added.
‘I see her, but not as much as I’d like. I’d like to see her every day, but I’m so happy for her. She’s doing great,’ noted the ex of Ben Affleck.
She also has 16-year-old son Moses with Chris and said, ‘My son is growing up every minute. He’s taller than me. But I’m very grateful for the transitions. Especially as a mother, I’ve really cherished every chapter of their lives.’
Hard to part: ‘My daughter went to college in the fall,’ began the blonde beauty who had the teen with Coldplay rocker Chris Martin; the two finalized their divorce in 2016
Paltrow spoke to People during the Copper Fit event.
She is now wed to Brad Falchuk who has teens Brody and Isabella.
‘It’s funny, I always thought, when they were born I was like, “It’s never going to be better than this.” But then they were 2, and then 5, and every stage I’ve been like, “This is better than the last.” And I feel that way now,’ she added.
She looked fashionable during a collaborative event between herself and the activewear brand Copper Fit.
The 50-year-old actress donned a low-cut white dress which ended around her ankles. She stood on a pair of black, open-toed high heels.
Oh boy: She also has 16-year-old son Moses with Chris and said, ‘My son is growing up every minute. He’s taller than me. But I’m very grateful for the transitions. Especially as a mother, I’ve really cherished every chapter of their lives’
‘It’s important to feel great and these products really help me because they offer support, they support the way women work and live,’ the star shared as she added she has found a way to make wearing sky-high heels bearable with the help of arch bands that help tame Plantar Fasciitis.
‘Understanding that our bodies need support is OK.’
Ageless: The beauty told DailyMail.com that taking care of her health is a must – especially now . ‘It’s important to feel great and these products really help me because they offer support, they support the way women work and live,’ the star shared
‘I love their stuff, they really work,’ she added of Copper Fit’s many products.
And she uses a range of the products for ‘support,’ she said.
For her feet, she has on the arch supports. Paltrow said she was wearing one of the products to the event, a band around her feet under her strappy shoes. ‘Ladies, we need these when we have heels on,’ she said.
The gloves are good for her hands. ‘They offer relief after texting a lot.’
And the compression gripper socks are helpful for when she does yoga: ‘Their compression socks are a must.’
The star also shared that ever since she broke her knee in 2008 she likes to have on the knee band when working out.
The mother of two addressed the crowd with a speech about a pain-free life.
There were also aromatherapy oils given out by Kristin Culverwell of Wish Wellness in Los Angeles.
So chic: The mother of two looked youthful at the party in a beige dress with black high heels as she addressed the crowd with a speech about how she loves to take care of her health. Here she had on a foot bands by Copper Fit which she said is a must to deal with pain
She likes the support: ‘It’s important to feel great and these products really help me because they offer support,’ the star shared as she added she has found a way to make wearing sky-high heels bearable with the help of arch supports. ‘Understanding that our bodies need support is OK’
She has also talked about ageing on GOOP: ‘My body, a map of the evidence of all the days, is less timeless. A collection of marks and irregularities that dog-ear the chapters. Scarred from oven burns, a finger smashed in a window long ago, the birth of a child. Silver hair and fine lines.
Loves it: When speaking at the event she also said that she is a fan of Copper Fit: ‘I love their stuff,’ she said. There were also aromatherapy oils given out by Kristin Culverwell of Wish Wellness in Los Angeles
The gloves fit: She also said she texts so much so she likes to wear the gloves for relief
‘The sun has left her celestial fingerprints all over me, as if she soaked a brush in dark-taupe watercolor, flecking it over my skin,’ she noted.
And while she strives for good health and longevity to stave off weakening muscles and receding bone, ‘I have a mantra I insert into those reckless thoughts that try to derail me: I accept. I accept the marks and the loosening skin, the wrinkles. I accept my body and let go of the need to be perfect, look perfect, defy gravity, defy logic, defy humanity. I accept my humanity.’
Joel Kinnaman (The Suicide Squad) recently wrapped working on John Woo’s Christmas Eve action movie Silent Night, which is said to play out entirely without dialogue. Now he has signed on to star in the action thriller The Silent Hour, which is set to be directed by Brad Anderson (The Call). Deadline reports that the project is being funded by AGC Studios. AGC is also producing the film and will be presenting The Silent Hour to potential distributors at the upcoming American Film Market.
Anderson will be directing The Silent Hour from a screenplay by Dan Hall. Kinnaman will be taking on the role of a Boston Police Detective who suffers an on-the-job accident that leaves him hearing impaired. Sixteen months later, he is now an interpreter for the department and must battle a team of corrupt cops attempting to eliminate a deaf murder witness in an apartment building.
Eric Paquette of Meridian Pictures is producing The Silent Hour with AGC Studios. Filming is expected to begin sometime in early 2023.
Kinnaman starring in an action thriller directed by Anderson sounds like a good pairing to me, as I have been a fan of Anderson’s work ever since seeing Session 9 at a theatrical horror marathon in 2001. The set-up for The Silent Hour sounds interesting as well, and reminiscent of The Raid. I’m sure this “battle in a building” won’t be as intense or brutal as The Raid is, but here’s hoping it will still turn out to be something cool.
How does The Silent Hour sound to you? Are you a fan of Joel Kinnaman and/or Brad Anderson? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
Anderson’s other feature directing credits include Next Stop Wonderland, Happy Accidents, The Machinist, Transsiberian, Vanishing on 7th Street, Stonehearst Asylum, Beirut, and Fractured.
Vizio brings fall premieres to WatchFree+ beginning this week, with the introduction of its Fall Fest programming lineup.
This includes a fresh slate of exclusive TV series premieres, brand-new action films and stunts on Vizio Features channels and premium favorites on streaming channels.
“We’re excited to deliver on our promise of high-quality content and continued value to Vizio users through this Fall Fest collection,” Katherine Pond, group vp of platform content and partnerships at Vizio, said in a statement. “With exclusive TV shows, premium fan favorites and movie titles that have never before been seen on our Vizio Features channels, Fall Fest is a one-stop destination for free fall TV viewing.”
Exclusive WatchFree+ world premieres include the five-part docuseries Boston George: Famous Without the Fortune, the three-part miniseries Sanitarium and the two-part feature documentary Haunted Gold. Exclusive on-demand TV series include Seasons 2 and 3 of Canada’s Drag Race and Season 2 of Hotel Paranormal, while the WatchFree+ channel has Space Science Now on channel 552.
New Vizio Curated Channel Programming: Investigation (channel 350) American Classics (channel 201) Fork & Flight (channel 500) Kick Back (channel 200) House (channel 501)
Primetime Favorites: ION (channel 217) Stories by AMC (channel 241) All Weddings by WEtv (channel 332) Baywatch (channel 210)
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![Tom Brady is seen for the first time in his new uniform for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 42-year-old NFL quarterback is now playing for a new team with a number 12 shirt, after 20 years with the New England Patriots. Brady is set to join fellow Buccaneers, including wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and tight ends Rob Gronkowski, O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate. During his two decades with the New England Patriots, Brady won six Super Bowl titles and three NFL MVPs, was named to the Pro Bowl 14 times and was a First-Team All-Pro selection three times. 16 Jun 2020 Pictured: Tom Brady is seen in his Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform for the first time. Photo credit: Tampa Bay Buccaneers/ MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA681209_001.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]](https://hollywoodlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/tom-brady-tampa-bay-buccaneers-jersey-mega-gal1.jpg?w=352)
